Accel World: Rise of the Dragon
by AuraFighter23
Summary: Cadmus Markos never thought himself to be special, hell, it was a fact that practically everybody in his life reinforced, but what if he wasn't. What if a 'nobody' like him grabbed the attention of someone who offered him a choice? What if that choice opened up a new world for Cadmus? The world of a Burst Linker. Rated T for language. I don't own Accel World.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Prelude to Awakening

I never asked for any of this. I thought that it was all just a game, something that didn't matter. I didn't think that it would end in war. Had I known that this would happen, I would have never installed that damn app, yet at the same time…

…I couldn't see myself doing anything else.

I guess I should start from the beginning to give you all a little background. My name is Cadmus Markos and, at the time, I was a Freshman at Silver Oak High. It all started after the first month into the school year; a day that would change my life forever.

The day I would become a Burst Linker.

-Rise of the Dragon-

The day started like any other Monday, the alarm on my neuro linker chiming, waking me up at 5:30, rousing me from my slumber and alerting me to the need to catch my train. After a quick shower I took only a few seconds to glance at my tanned face and dull blue eyes and comb my messy black hair, making sure to comb my hair in a way to cover the scar on my forehead. I then got dressed in my uniform, put my cobalt blue neuro linker around my neck, grabbed a bagel, and left my quiet apartment.

I quickly exited the apartment complex, giving a short "Hello" to Mrs. Flannigan, the elderly woman that liked to take walks in the morning with her cat, and made my way to the train station. Once situated, I quickly scrolled through my messages, noting that my sister had deposited my daily allowance into my account; just enough lunch (I got a little more on Saturday's so I could go grocery shopping). I had just finished tying my tie when he got to his stop.

Silver Oak High was, to put it lightly, extravagant. It was a large school, one that I would liken to a cross between a normal school and a three-story mansion, complete with a large fountain with a pristine marble knight with the water spurting from its head like a large elaborate plume. The 'fanciness' didn't end there as, the second you stepped into the building, you were met with pristine halls complete with marble floors, high ceiling arches, large oil paintings of past principals and teachers. They even had _actual_ suits of armor lining the halls.

As you can imagine, the place had a certain…'air' about it. Something that commanded excellence and those of an 'upper echelon'. Hence the need for uniforms that were borderline suits, that were navy blue with white lapels, ties included (girls had ascot-like neckwear and long black skirts). The students there also tended to come from affluent and well-off families and, as one can imagine, many of them held themselves in high regard. Since I don't come from such a family, many students looked down on me or thought me beneath their notice.

"Hey! Caddy!" a loud slightly high-pitched voice called out, significantly louder than the cacophony of voices coming from the halls. Turning around, I saw one of the very few exceptions to the whole 'looking down on me' thing; Cecil Abernathy.

Cecil was a freshman like me, the only daughter to a business tycoon and the head to the Abernathy Cooperation. I think he was in shipping, but I can't remember. Every time I brought it up to Cecil, she got quiet. Speaking of which, she was the definition of teenage rebellion, although with an admittedly cute face. She constantly went out of the way to defy her father, going out with friends, being friends with _me_ , she even died her hair bright purple, something her father -discretely- blamed me for. Her neuro linker matched her hair.

The excitable girl bounced over to me, curly purple hair bouncing as she went. Her pale face was slightly flushed, most likely from running through the halls, but her bright smile was firmly in place. Her jade eyes glittering in excitement. "Hey Caddy," she greeted happily.

"Hey, Cecil," I answered in kind, smiling at my friend, though I think my I twitched as she used that _terrible_ nickname. "Do you have to call me that every time you see me?"

"Nope," she said cheekily, popping the 'p'. I sighed, but I couldn't find it in myself to get upset with her. I was far too used to her antics to be actually offended. She then reached out and grabbed my arm. "Come on! I want to meet up with Barney before first bell."

I allowed myself to be pulled through the hallway by my excitable compatriot, noting the familiar path she was taking me. "Let me guess…"

"He's in the library," Cecil said at the same time I did. We laughed, incurring several glanced from other students, but we didn't care.

Despite the school being incredibly large, the library was rather easy to find. In fact, the entirety of the library took up almost a quarter of the school's interior. Three floors of an almost endless amount of literature ranging from fiction to historical non-fiction. They even had a few graphic novels, though no comics, and sitting there with his perpetually bored expression, slicked back bright blond hair, and glasses, gray eyes, forest green neuro linker, reading a large book, was Barnaby Williams.

Barnaby was a strange addition to the duo of friends, or rather _I_ was the strange addition. Barnaby and Cecil had apparently known each other since childhood. Their parents had some kind of partnership going on between their companies and, as such, they arranged for their children to 'interact'. I'm about seventy-five percent sure that their parents wanted them to get married in a few years, making a big corporation 'power-couple', or something like that. I seriously doubted that that would happen since…

"Hey Barney!" Cecil called, letting go of my arm and rushing to the blonde's side, nearly knocking the book he was reading off of the table.

"Cecil!" he chided, giving the girl a frigid glare. "Be careful! This book is very old and easily damageable!"

Yeah, he was about as sociable as a block of ice.

Cecil pouted. "I was just trying to say 'hi'…"

Barnaby's glare lessened a fraction of a degree, a small practically unnoticeable smile forming of his face. "It's fine. Just be more careful next time."

Okay, he _could_ be nice every once in a while. He was more like a glass of ice water.

Cecil beamed over having been forgiven. She then dragged me to the table and forced me into a seat with a surprising amount of strength. "So, I've been thinking…" she said, sliding into the seat next to me, leaning in as if speaking conspiratorially.

"That's a shock," Barnaby commented with a smirk.

"Hey!" Cecil cried out indigently, slapping the smirking blonde's arm. "Anyway, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," she glared accusingly at Barnaby, "I was going to say we should hang out this weekend. We haven't done anything together since the start of the year and I miss you guys."

"You do realize you see us everyday at school, right?" Barnaby pointed out.

"It's not the same!" Cecil argued. "I mean, Caddy doesn't even have the same lunch period as us!"

"Such a shame," he said, sighing dramatically. "I guess we'll just have to make do without him."

"Wow, really feeling the love," I said dryly.

"No! We're doing something together as friends!" Cecil snapped, glaring at Barnaby, daring him to argue. Barnaby rolled his eyes, not at all affected by her glare, but he relented. Cecil glared at him for a few seconds longer before nodding. "Okay, so I was thinking we could hit up that new arcade down on 4th Street, then we could have a picnic in the park."

"A picnic?" Barnaby scoffed. "You do realize that we aren't married, right?"

"I think it will be nice," Cecil huffed. "The weather's supposed to be nice on Saturday, so I thought it would be nice if we all could meet up."

As Cecil and Barnaby bickered back and forth, I couldn't help but note the strange dynamic between the two. Cecil was bubbly and easily excitable while Barnaby was cold and abrasive. They didn't seem like they fit together, let alone associate with someone like me. I still remember how they met me two years ago when several other older students who felt that I 'didn't belong' at Silver Oak and decided that I needed to be put in my place with their fists.

It was…so cool. Barnaby swooped in and beat the crap out of the ones messing with me while Cecil tended to my injuries. After that, I started watching and following them like a puppy starving for attention. Eventually, they accepted me into their group, though Barnaby took a while to warm up to me. There were still times that I thought that they accepted me into their group because they felt sorry for me, but…

"Oi! Earth to Caddy! Are you there?" I jumped in my seat, noting that Cecil was an inch from my face.

"Huh?" Cecil rolled her eyes and glared at me.

"Have you been listening to anything I've been saying?!" I shrugged helplessly, pointedly ignoring the pitying smirk that Barnaby had on his face. Cecil inhaled deeply and pinched the bridge of her nose. She opened her mouth to say something but the shrill sound of the warning bell sounded off.

"Well that's the bell! I guess we better head to advisory!" I said, all to relieved to be spared Cecil's wrath. I quickly got up from my seat and walked quickly (I didn't run, I swear!) towards the exist.

"Cadmus!" Cecil shouted from behind. I gulped as she only used my full name when she was upset with me.

"I'll see you after school!" I shouted back, slipping out the door just as the sound of a leather-bound manuscript against hard wood followed by an indignant shout from Barnaby filled the air.

-Rise of the Dragon-

I sighed tiredly, doing my best to stay away as the history teacher droned on and on. I always hated this class, not because I hate history, but because it was the class right before lunch. I had already had three other classes and I was mentally exhausted so, as I watched my teacher pretend to write on the blackboard, I was fighting to stay awake.

Thinking back on it, it was strange that the teacher was miming writing on the blackboard when he was really using an app on their neuro linker to write notes that were shared with the class in real time. I mean, why have a physical blackboard if you're not going to use it? Seems like a waste of money.

Anyway, I was bored out of my mind and I wasn't the only one. Glancing around me I saw several of my fellow classmates moving their fingers up and down in a scrolling fashion and 'typing' over their desk. While these things could be attributed to taking notes or reading said notes, and the fact that I couldn't see what they could see, if I were to judge solely on the fact that half of them wore the same dazed and bored looks on their faces, I'd say they were all checked out.

I was pulled from my bored musings when a sudden notification popped up in front of my screen. I had just gotten a direct message. Confused as to who would send me a notification at this time and curious as to what the message was, I clicked on it and was met with an explosion.

Well, not a real explosion, more like confetti popper bursting in my face, bursting with the sound of a gunshot.

A startled yelp managed to make its way from my mouth before I was able to bite my tongue. Looking around, I sighed in relief when I saw that no one around me was looking at me. I then turned back to message and I felt my heart sink.

 _You're paying for my lunch. Don't make me wait!_

I didn't need to see the caller ID to know who sent that. Glancing over my shoulder I was met with a malicious glare from Eric Cho, the resident 'bad boy' and one of my main tormentors. His uniform was unbuttoned and the sleeves of his jacket were torn off, a clear violation of school dress code, but, seeing as his father was a long-time friend of the principal, he got special privileges. His lanky legs were resting on his desk, something that the teacher blatantly ignored, his arms crossed behind his head.

The delinquent, and no, I'm not generalizing, he was definitely a delinquent, grinned maliciously at me. He was of Asian descent, the best I could tell anyway, with heavily gelled hair styled into a prominent mohawk, the edges of which were dyed a poisonous green. As he smiled, I could see the slight yellowing of his teeth from years of smoking, his piggy black eyes glittering ominously. He mouthed something, but I couldn't decipher what it was and I frankly didn't care to know.

My attention was pulled back to the front of the class as the bell rang. Immediately, everyone got up and rushed towards the door, eager to either get to their next class or to lunch. I purposely moved slower than the rest of the class, allowing everyone to exit the room before me. Eric passed by me, sending me a final smirk before leaving the room. For what felt like the hundredth time today, I sighed. I then packed up my stuff and left the room, but I didn't go towards the cafeteria. No, instead, I went to my secret place.

Walking the familiar path to the east wing of the library, I made sure not bump into anyone in my hurry. While I wasn't a bookworm like Barnaby, the library offered me solace from the bullies as the librarian was a cruel mistress that ran the library with an iron fist. I quickly made my way past the many bookshelves before slipping in between two shelves that were turned in towards each other at an angle. Within the space was a rather small area, just enough for a single person to sit comfortably.

I had discovered this place by accident when trying to avoid my bullies during the first week of school. After I had successfully hidden from them consistently, I moved a chair into the space and spent a good portion of the lunch hour there. Typically, I would sneak out in the last fifteen minutes or so to grab something quick from the cafeteria before going to my next class.

I sat down in the chair, shrugged off my bag, and loosened my collar. Now all that was left was to pass the time.

"Direct Link," I muttered, closing my eyes and letting the world fell away.

After a brief sensation of falling and a subtle numbing tingle running up my body, my feet touched solid ground. Settling into my new weight, I opened my eyes and welcomed the bright world before me.

Upon opening my eyes, it was like I stepped into an elven city. The sidewalks were all a clean white stone with what appeared to be a freshly cut lawn surrounding the winding paths, fences separating them. Enormous trees sprouted up in a wild yet controlled manner and flower beds gave color diversity to the lawn from their places framed around the many benches. In the distant I could see a large fountain, the same knight from the fountain in front of the school residing in that fountain as well, though it was much larger. The artificial sun 'warmed' shined brightly over it all.

I sighed in complete bliss. The school's network was probably one of the most beautiful plazas' in the city. No surprise considering the school. I hopped off of the warp gates, which looked like a tree stump and landed on a patch of grass. I reveled at the sensation of cool grass tickling against my paws.

My avatar was one of the default models; a bipedal fox with cargo shorts, though I did change it from a red fox to an arctic one and gave myself a dark blue scarf. I didn't see a real need to design my avatar from scratch like other people did. After all, it's not like I talk to anyone outside of Cecil and Barnaby.

I moved quickly through the streets of the server, doing my best to avoid other student's avatars. They occasionally glanced my way, but they never lingered on me. There were a few carts and booths set up sporadically, selling things from avatar accessories to food items. The food there didn't sustain you like real food, but the neuro linker, much like the earlier nerve gear, connected to the brain in such a way that allowed for taste receptors to respond to things eaten in virtual reality.

I was making my way to the game tower, which, as the name implied, held numerous arcade games that, instead of using a joystick, made the player the controller. It was really fun, though it offered no real exercise, and I was the current undefeated champion at _Slash and Dash_. As I was making my way to the tower, I couldn't help but stop at a loud squeal.

"Oh my gosh! Ash, your avatar is so cool!"

Turning towards the sound, I saw a group of girls, who's avatars were rather…R-rated, surrounding a guy, but not just any guy. It was Ash(ton) Calloway. The sophomore's avatar looked a lot like he did in real life, finely trimmed black hair, vibrant green eyes, a shade darker than Cecil's, dark skin, but he wore what could only be described as the classic 'prince charming' outfit with a royal blue tunic with gold embroidery, brown slacks, black boots, and a bright red cape.

Ashton was, by far, the most popular guy in school, possibly in the history of Silver Oak. He was the star of the school's basketball team and a consistent honor roll student. He held the top spot in academics, beating out the entire senior class. Rumor had it that several elite schools had already offered him full rides for their institutions. Not only that but he had the charisma of Elvis and Leonardo DiCaprio rolled into one, hence why he was surrounded by girls.

"How'd you set your avatar like that? Did you design it yourself?" one girl tittered.

"He's so cool," another gushed, fawning over the sophomore.

I shook my head at their antics. Some girls just had no sense and I'm sure Cecil would say the same thing if she saw them. I was about to continue on my way when I felt as if someone was watching me. Turning, I locked eyes with none other than Ashton Calloway.

The sophomore was staring me with an unreadable expression on his face. This confused me as, compared to him, I was a faceless nobody, hardly any better than an ant on the road. I held his gaze for several seconds, neither of us blinking or breaking eye contact. Eventually, one of the girls stepped in front of Ashton, pulling his attention away from me. I stood there a second longer before resuming my trek, still confused as to why he was staring at me.

-Rise of the Dragon-

After that strange encounter, it didn't take long for me to reach the gamming hub, a large tree with a building seemingly wrapped around it like a sleeve. Entering in the large hollow opening and going to one of the dozens of game rooms, each about the size of a gymnasium. Walking up to the sole podium in the center of the room, I selected _Slash and Dash_ and watched as the podium sunk into the ground.

A ripple went through the room as the ground seemed to shift as if made of water. All at once, the large hexagonal tiles that made up for the room glowed bright red. On the floor, several of the hexagon, including the one I was standing on, on burst from the ground, creating several pillars about five feet in height. From the walls, holes began to open up, allowing about five spherical drones to fly out and hover around me. A blue lightsaber-like blade appeared before me along with the large glowing words "READY?"

Taking a deep, calming breath, I allowed my nerves and anxieties to filter out of me, my focus directly on the glowing blade in front of me. Steeling my nerve, I grabbed the blade and the second I did, the words faded and were replaced with "GO!" The second those words disappeared, the drones started moving.

Like a horde of angry bees, the drones flew around the room, sending small bolts of green energy at me every once in a while. At the first blast, I jumped off of the pillar with a backflip before landing lightly on my feet. Eyes narrowing at the drone that had just shot at me, I kicked off, racing towards the drone.

The other drones fired at me, but I dodged them with ease, either deflecting the beams with my blade or weaving between the pillars to dodge. When I was directly under the drone, I jumped into the air, kicking off from pillar to pillar before cutting through the drone like butter. Landing in a crouch, I turned to face the remained drones and grinned.

In this world, I wasn't the nobody that everyone loved to walk on that I was in the real world. In virtual reality, I had no limitations. I could do things like I was doing now, doing death-defying flips, wall jumps, and cutting through robots. This was where I belonged. A place where I had no limitations. Where I was free to touch the sky.

Before I knew it, I had cut through the last drones, completing the level. I had no time to relax, however, as level two started and twice as many drones appeared. Instead of being panicked at the increased number of drones, I grinned and charged.

-Rise of the Dragon-

I had lost track of what level I was on. All that I was focused on was the drones swarming me. After each level, the number of drones would increase to a max number of twenty-five. After that, they got quicker and fired at a much faster rate until they were almost impossible to track. It was difficult to continue to dodge and destroy the drones, but I began to see patterns in their movement, giving me the opportunity to track where they would be. However, there was a bit of luck and instinct to the game.

I dodged another flurry of laser blasts, rolling out of the way and coming to a knee. I was panting slightly from fatigue, how they programed that in the neuro linker I'm not sure, but I refused to call it quits. I got to my feet and charged another drone, dodging lasers as I went. I jumped towards it and brought down my blade, seeking to cut the machine in half, but, just as I was about to cleave it in two, it moved to the side.

Eyes wide in surprise, I was unable to dodge as the drone shot a point-blank laser at me. I felt a dull sting in my side and a loud buzzer rang out, signifying that I had gotten a game over. Falling to the ground, I sighed in defeat, the adrenaline fading from my body. I guess that was it.

Looking up I watched the scoreboard flashed to life. I watched with satisfaction as my name, Cool Fox (I was in middle school when I came up with it, cut me some slack) take the number one spot knocking my previous record down to second.

"Level 73," I said, smiling at my success. "Two more than last time, but I can do better."

I went back to the podium, which had risen from the ground as the pillars sank. I was about to restart the game when someone gasped from behind me.

"Level 73?! That's amazing, Caddy!" Cecil's voice exclaimed. Turning I saw my friend's avatar gaping at the score board. Her avatar was wearing a silver breast plate with a black, long sleeve shirt underneath. She wore vambraces on her arms and gauntlets on her hands. A skirt-like tasset was wrapped around her waist and greaves on her legs. She finished her look off with silver sabatons.

"Uh…yeah," I said awkwardly.

"That's so good! I've never seen a score that high!" she gushed, eyes wide in amazement.

"Umm, don't you have class?" I asked, confused as to why Cecil was here.

"Oh!" she exclaimed as if remembering something. "That's right. Quick, log off!"

Before I could even reply, she had already logged off herself, disappeared from view. With a sigh, I did as I was told and logged off. When I opened my eyes to the real world, I nearly fell out of my chair when I was met with the smirking face of Cecil.

"Cecil!" I squawked. "H-How'd you—"

"Find this place?" Cecil finished, grinning mischievously. "I have my ways. Now come on, I got food!"

As she said this, I noticed the small box of school-made pizza in her hands. I gawked at the sight. "H-How…Wh-Why…?"

"One of my friends from health class said that Eric Cho was glaring at you in history class," Cecil explained. "I figured that you would be avoiding the lunch room so I took the liberty to get you something."

I frowned slightly at the mention of Eric Cho. Both Cecil and Barnaby knew about the bullying I received on an almost daily basis and, while Barnaby said that I should deal with it or fight back, Cecil was always supportive of me. She always consoled me and offered support, but, despite all she did, I couldn't help but feel…weak.

"Come on," Cecil said, grabbing my arm and pulling me from my thoughts. "Mrs. Jane doesn't like people eating in the library."

I allowed myself to be pulled, keeping my head down so that Cecil couldn't see my face. We left the library, earning a stern look from the librarian, Mrs. Jane. Cecil was chatting about the various happenings going on within the school. I allowed her to talk at me, not really willing to get into the conversation, still deep in my funk. My impromptu depression only intensified when a familiar sneering voice reached my ears.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here, boys."

I felt my blood chill. Slowly, both Cecil and I turned and saw Eric Cho stalking towards us with two of his goons flanking him. He had a nasty smirk on his face, one that promised bodily harm, most likely towards me. "I was waiting in the lunchroom for almost an hour, hungry," Eric said. His voice sounded light and almost carefree, but there was an underlining malice underneath. "I thought we had an agreement?"

I opened my mouth to say something, but the words caught in my throat. I could feel a cold sweat begin to run down my back and my heart rate begin to increase. I would have taken a step back had Cecil's not been gripping his arm.

"I'm sorry, what's going on here?" Cecil asked sweetly, though I could see her jaw clench.

Eric Cho turned his gaze to Cecil, appearing to have just noticed her. Immediately, a clearly fake smile stretched across his face. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there. You see, me and my good buddy Cadmus over there had an arrangement for lunch and he skipped out on it," he lied. His lie honestly sounded like it could be the truth, something that he no doubt had practice doing. What he said probably would have been believable had Cecil known who exactly she was talking to.

"Uh huh," she said disbelievingly, causing Eric's smile to slip slightly. "You know, that's funny considering I'm Caddy's friend and he's never mentioned you, so how about you try again."

Eric's smile slipped fully off of his face, replaced by his signature sneer. "Look, sweetheart—"

" _Don't_ call me sweetheart," Cecil practically growled.

"—I have business with that little creep next to you, so how about you prance off," Eric said, speaking as if Cecil hadn't said anything. I flinched a little, but not at the glare that Eric was now sending me. No, it was the frigid glare that Cecil was sporting.

" _Excuse me?_ " Cecil hissed, her grip on my arm becoming bruising. "That is my friend your talking about and who the hell do you think you're talking to?!" She took a step forward, dragging me with her, and got right in Eric's face. "I'm not some little valley girl that will just titter around when her friend's being bullied, so I suggest you back off."

Eric was taken aback, probably not used to being spoken to in such a manner. Unfortunately, his shock was shortly replaced with blinging anger. "Listen here you little bitch," he growled, his teeth grinding against each other. "How about you stay out of things you aren't involved in. Lest you find yourself hurt."

I bristled at that. He was threatening my friend! "Hey, how about you—"

 _Beep, Beep!_

The sound of a car horn caused me to stop abruptly. My body ceased, my heart skipped a beat, my throat constricted. For a second, I wasn't in the school hallway. I was in the middle of the street, the smell of gasoline and smoke clogging my senses. I could hear muffled shouts in the distance, but the only thing I could focus on was the growing pool of red growing in front of me.

A chorus of cruel laughter pulled me back to the present. Blinking I saw Eric and his goons roaring with laughter and Cecil looking at me in concern. Glancing down at myself, I saw that I was shaking.

"That's hilarious," Eric laughed cruelly. He grinned at me, tapping his black neuro linker. "Like the app? It's a soundboard. It plays anything from gun shots—" he tapped something and another car horn blared, though I didn't flinch this time, "to car horns."

The trio of delinquents broke out in another round of raucous laughter. Next to me, Cecil was shaking in rage. Without warning, she stalked forward and slapped Eric across the face. "You horrible monster!" she shouted, her green eyes burning with hatred. "How dare you do something like that to him! How could anybody be so heartless?!"

As Cecil laid into him, Eric brought a hand to his face. His eyes narrowed at the violet haired girl, his anger building with each word Cecil spoke. He cut Cecil off mid-rant, anger smoldering behind his eyes. "I warned you, bitch," he growled and, before Cecil could react, lashed out with his hand and backhanded her across the face with much more force than she had just moments ago. I could only watch gobsmacked as Cecil was sent sprawling to the floor.

Cecil was on the ground, her cheek already starting to bruise. Eric sneered at Cecil's body, muttering something to himself, his cronies too wore looks of shock, but they seemed much more at ease with it. All the while I could only stare there frozen in shock and fear.

"What seems to be going on here?" Everybody froze at the cold voice that addressed them. Across the hall, standing there with his arms crossed over his chest was Ashton Calloway. He stepped closer, stopping just a few feet from the group. He raised a brow. "Well?"

Eric flinched back slightly, his gaze falling to Cecil, who was just starting to sit up, and realized how bad the situation was. "Nothing," he grunted turning around and leaving with his two lackeys following him.

Ashton stared after the trio for several more seconds before kneeling down to help Cecil. "Are you alright?" he asked gently.

"I-I'm fine," she stuttered out, flushing slightly. It appeared that not even Cecil was immune to Ashton's charm.

As he helped her to his feet, I bowed my head in shame. My friend had been struck and I had done nothing to even defend her honor or help her up. He really was pathetic.

"Hey," I jumped as Ashton addressed me.

"Y-Yes," I squeaked out.

"Take her to the nurse's office," he said, gently pushing Cecil towards me. "I will be reporting those delinquents to the principal."

Without another word, the sophomore turned on his heel and walked off, leaving me and Cecil alone. Cecil started gushing about how cool he was while I could only think about how worthless I was.

-Rise of the Dragon-

"Are you sure you're okay?" Barnaby questioned, his usual calm façade breaking to concern. We were currently walking from school, the final bell ringing just several minutes ago. Cecil had explained to the blonde what had happened and it was safe to say that he wasn't pleased.

"I'm fine," Cecil insisted, batting Barnaby's hand away from her bandage. "Honestly, I don't even need a Band-Aid for this. It's just a bruise."

"Hmph," Barnaby grunted, not looked convinced. "I wouldn't be surprised if your father sues Cho for damages."

"I know," Cecil sighed. "He freaked when the nurse called him. I wouldn't have been surprised if he showed up and killed Eric himself."

"And where were you during all of this?" Barnaby asked me suddenly.

I gulped. "I was there."

"And you didn't do anything to help or stop Cho?" he asked quirking a brow. "Not very gentlemanly."

"Hey, I don't need a gentleman looking after me," Cecil said. "Besides…" she glanced at me, "Caddy was…preoccupied."

"Preoccupied?" Barnaby repeated, scoffing loudly. "He was _preoccupied_ as you were being struck?"

"Stop it, Barney," Cecil scolded. "He's not my keeper. He's not in charge of protecting me."

"And neither are you in charge of protecting him," Barnaby snapped back. "You got hurt protecting him and he's not man enough to defend you? It's pathetic! I honestly don't see why you let him follow us around if he had no purpose."

I stopped dead.

Cecil whirled around. "Barnaby!" she hissed. She turned to me, worry filling her eyes. "Caddy, he didn't—"

"I'll see you guys later," I interrupted, rushing past the duo and to the train station, ignoring Cecil's calls for me to come back.

By the time I knew where I was going, I was already on the train heading to my street. Cecil attempted to call me several times, but I ignored them. I didn't want to hear any of her explanations of how "Barnaby didn't mean what he said" or "How she doesn't see me as a waste of space". I was just tired of it all. Before I knew it, I was home.

"I'm home," I said tonelessly, flicking the lights on to my apartment. No one answered, not that I expected anyone to. After all, Alexia hardly ever came by.

I set out doing my homework, cooked my dinner, watched a little TV, and laid down in bed. I stared up at my ceiling, the events of the day filtering through my mind, and I couldn't stop the tears from falling from my eyes.

-Rise of the Dragon-

The next day started without much fluster. I got to school around the time I normally did, though I went out of my way to avoid Cecil, who was waiting by the fountain, most likely looking for me. When lunch time rolled around, I avoided the lunch room again, not wanting to chance a meeting with Eric, but I didn't go to the library. Chances were that Cecil would look there for me. Instead, I locked myself in a bathroom stall and direct linked to the school's server. When I got to the game hall and moved to set up _Slash and Dash_ I was shocked by what I saw on the scoreboard.

"Level 77!" I gasped. Someone had beaten my record by four and knocked me out of first place. "No…"

That rank was all I had. The only thing I could feel proud of and this 'Gilded Prince' had just taken it away from me. I fell to my knees, trying, and failing, to keep myself from crying. I knew it was stupid of me to get so emotional over a stupid rank in a game, but it was special to me.

"So, you're the person that reached level 73," a voice called from behind me. A very familiar voice. I turned my head to the voice and saw the immaculate form of Ashton Calloway.

Ashton regarded me with a strange expression that suggested he was, excited? It was hard to tell from someone whose expressions were closer to neutral than anything else. "I have to say, it was incredibly difficult to beat your score," he continued. "You should feel proud."

"Why are you here?" I asked with no small amount of bitterness in my voice. "Come to gloat?"

"No, nothing of the sort," he said with a shake of his head. "I've come here to offer you a job of sorts."

I blinked owlishly. "What?"

 **Author's Notes:**

First off, thank you for checking out this story. I normally write Mystery Dungeon fics and, after my Sword Art Online fic didn't go the way I wanted, I was a little hesitant to write this one. I hope that I can put this fic on the same level as Stardust and Resistance and any suggestions or constructive criticisms are welcome.

Moving on, for those that either have watched the anime or read the manga, you can probably tell that Ashton will be the 'Parent' of Cadmus and, as such, the two will be close. Unlike the Parent relationship between Kuroyukihime and Arita Haruyuki, there will be no love between Ashton and Cadmus other than that of brothers. While I have nothing against same sex pairings, it simply will not be the case with Ashton and Cadmus as romantic relationships will not be at the forefront of my fic. With that out of the way, I hope you all enjoy my fic.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Birth of a Burst Linker

I awkwardly made my way towards the sophomore section of the lunchroom, keeping a cautious eye out for Eric. The room, despite being a high school cafeteria, looked like a fusion of a classic lunchroom and a large coffee shop. Upon entering the room, there was, of course, a section where everyone could buy their lunches, however it wasn't just the typical lunch foods. No, Silver Oak just had to prove that it was above all other schools. Along with the usual sandwiches, chicken nuggets, and pizza there was sushi, roast, fried okra, there was even lobster tail!

On top of all that, there was a (not so) small counter adjacent to the more lunchroom-like segment of the cafeteria. They sold all manner of coffee products ranging from cappuccinos to frappuccinos, various teas, both warm and cold, and multiple baked goods. Whoever decided it as a good idea to have coffee available to teenagers obviously knew nothing about how we teens worked. Regardless, the 'food section' of the cafeteria was separated by a row of tall machines that, while having the appearance of metal detectors, scanned the cafeteria food in your possession and charged it to your account through your neuro linker.

The rest of the lunchroom was as elegant as the rest of the school. Dark red almost purple carpet blanketed the floor, somehow still unblemished despite years of teenagers eating over it. The tables were all dark wood with embroidered placemats, each one with its own design. Three large windows, one for each wall outside of the food section of the room, looked out into the courtyard and fountain. An enormous, crystal chandelier sat overhead, glittering in the natural sunlight that filled the room. Several lantern-like wall sconces lined the walls, giving more light.

All in all, the entire lunchroom looked like it belonged in a five-star restaurant, but, behind the beauty, hid…not really a darker side, but a hierarchy of sorts. As this was a high school, there were 'clicks', goths, jocks, band kids, 'bad boys', geeks, nerds (there is a distinction), and many others and no place showed that more than the lunchroom. Each click had their own table or section where they sat. While there was communication between the groups and even friendships, during lunch, crossing into another click's territory was the equivalent of declaring war on that click.

There weren't 'wars', so to speak, when someone entered another click's territory, but there would be more discrete repercussions. It was the main reason I tended to stay away from the lunchroom, even when I didn't want to encounter Eric, as I didn't have a set click to hang out with. I only had two friends, both of whom were part of their own and, in Cecil's case, a couple groups and I didn't belong to any of them. I wasn't a part of any clubs or sports and I didn't have any family that went to Silver Oak so I had no connections. At the best of times, I could sit at the 'misfit' table, though even they didn't always want to associate with me because of Eric.

Taking all of that into account, what I was about to do could be equated to social suicide.

My heart was pounding as I walked towards the 'Future Leader's' section, the most popular and sought-after group that only accepted the most popular, rich, and intelligent students into their ranks, and in the center of it all was Ashton Calloway. As per usual, he was surrounded by his fans, both guys and gals from all years, though the freshman were noticeably sitting further down the table. By the looks of things, it appeared that everyone was separated by grades with the freshmen at one end and seniors at the other end, closer to Ashton. It was fairly ironic considering Ashton was a sophomore.

Steeling my nerve, I took a step in their direction, only to be stopped by someone. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked, seemingly appearing from thin air. Her name was Martha Begall, the head of our school's gymnastics team and the self-appointed 'black-haired beauty' of the school. She sounded genuinely curious, but her gray eyes were annoyed, like she was tired of dealing with freshman on a daily basis.

"Um…I…" I squirmed awkwardly. The intense gaze of the upper classman was a little unnerving. At that point, we had gathered a lot of attention from all neighboring groups. I could hear whispers, all of them wondering what a nobody like me was doing approaching such a prestigious group.

"Well?" Martha asked, her impatience entering her voice.

I swallowed thickly, sweat trickling down my spine. I was about to turn tail and run when a smooth voice cut through the hushed chatter. "I asked him here."

Everything stopped at that moment. The entire lunchroom turned collectively to stare at Ashton Calloway. The sophomore didn't even look up from his book, appearing to not notice the sudden silence or the shocked looks.

"A-Ashton?! _You_ asked him here?!" Martha practically shrieked.

"I did," Ashton replied calmly, still not looking up. "There is something that I wish to discuss with him."

"But he's a—" Martha began, only to be silenced by a cold glare from Ashton.

"He's a _what_?" he questioned, setting down his book. His facial expression never changed, but the anger behind his gaze was clear.

"He…I…" Martha stuttered to a halt, either unable or unwilling to finish her sentence.

Ashton stared at Martha for a while longer, daring her to speak. When she didn't, Ashton nodded and sent a small reassuring smile towards me. "I'm glad you came. I thought that you may have decided to ignore my invitation." He got to his feet and gestured for me to follow. "Come, we have much to discuss."

He began walking towards one of the smaller tables closer to the opposite wall, causing me to scramble to follow. I could feel the heavy gazes from everyone around me, judging me, trying to understand how a nobody like me could garner the attention of someone like Ashton Calloway. Ashton, seemingly oblivious to the stares, sat down at one of the tables, a small two-seater that was typically used by couples wanting to have a 'romantic' lunch. However, I could tell this would not be a romantic meeting.

I sat across from the sophomore, anxiously fiddling with my hands, not really sure what to say. I was broken from my musings when cable was thrust into his vision. "Here," Ashton said, holding out the cable for me to take. "Hook this up to your neuro linker."

I took the cable, gaping when I realized what it was. "A direct wire connection cable?"

"Yes, what I wish to discuss with you is of the up most importance and I have no wish for others to hear," he responded coolly, plugging his end of the cable and looking at me expectantly.

I hesitated, rolling my end of the cable between my fingers. Using such cables fell out of practice, especially with the wireless communication function that came out with the new neuro linkers. The cables created what was essentially a telepathic communication line between those that were connected by the cable through the neuro linkers connection to the wearer's brain. However, if one wasn't careful, they could broadcast their inner most thoughts to the person on the other end as they were mentally connected.

Giving a quick glance towards Ashton, who was still waiting patiently, I swallowed my nervousness and plugged the cable into my neuro linker. A small window appeared before me, indicating that we were connected.

" _Good, everything seems to be in order,_ " Ashton said through the connection. " _Can you use neuro-speak?_ "

" _Y-Yes,_ " I replied, wincing as even my thoughts were stuttered.

Ashton nodded his head, sipping his cup of what I assumed to be coffee. " _Excellent. Now, I'm sure you are wondering why I asked you to meet me here._ " I nodded in response, not trusting my voice, mental or otherwise. What could I have done to garner the attention of Ashton Calloway? " _Well,_ " Ashton continued. " _It has to do with your score in the game,_ Slash and Dash _._ "

A small wince crossed my face at the bitter memory of my score being crushed by the person in front of me. " _What about it?_ "

Ashton quirked a brow, most likely at the bitterness in my voice, but he didn't comment on it. " _I was impressed by your score. Reaching level 73 is unheard of._ "

" _Maybe it_ was _, but not anymore,_ " I commented. " _You beat my score this morning._ "

" _Not exactly._ " I frowned at that.

" _What do you mean by that?_ " I questioned suspiciously. For a second, I swore I saw the sophomore shifted awkwardly, but when I looked back at him, he was as calm and collected as before.

" _What I mean is that I had…help so to speak._ " I openly gaped at Ashton. Was he saying what I thought he was saying? Did he, the student genius that could do no wrong, _cheat_?!

" _Did you cheat?!_ " I exclaimed, unable to hide the disbelief and accusation from my shout. " _How did you even do it? The servers are supposed to be incredibly advanced! Hacking into them should be—_ "

" _I did not hack the server,_ " Ashton interrupted. " _While I did cheat in a sense, it is not how you think. It was simply a way to showcase what I could offer you._ "

I blinked at that. " _Offer…me?_ "

" _Correct._ " Ashton then began to rapidly tap the air, indicating that he was typing something using his nerve gear. He then flung his hand out as if throwing something at me. " _I'm sending it to you now._ "

A second later, a new window opened up in front of me with two options on it; accept or deny. What was this?

" _It's a program that will change your life forever,_ " Ashton said, answering my unasked question. " _By choosing to download this app, you will be throwing away the life that you once knew and replace it with one that will change the way you go through life._ "

I swallowed unconsciously at the implication of what was literally in front of me. Change me life, could a single app really do that? Was this one of those scams to get my money? I glanced at Ashton and saw no indication that what he had just said was untrue. Even so…it was too good to be true. But what it was all real?

I turned my head slightly, allowing my gaze to roam over the lunchroom. Almost everyone was staring at our table, more specifically, me. Many of them were glaring at me, angry that I was talking to Ashton. Judging me for my lack of status. Sneering at me with disgust, as if I had no place speaking to their prince, Ashton. I hated it.

With my mind made up, I tapped the accept button.

The screen flashed before my eyes before disintegrated in a flurry of burning petals. The petals swirled in the air, forming a strange symbol that looked like two stylized B's. As the last of the petals formed the symbol, it exploded in a great ball of flames that nearly sent me out of my seat. The flames dissipated revealing a large iron sign that read…

" _Brain Burst?_ " I asked as the sign faded away from view before being replaced with the words ' _Welcome to the Accelerated World_ '. Was this what Ashton was talking about? It looked like some kind of game.

" _Good, it was installed correctly,_ " Ashton said, sounding relieved. " _It's not uncommon for…certain issues to come up during installation._ "

" _Issues?_ " I gulped.

" _Best not dwell on what could have been,_ " Ashton said dismissively. " _Anyway, I must say you decided to accept much quicker than I anticipated. It honestly took me almost a half an hour to decide whether or not to download the program. I'm not going to lie, I had an entire speech prepared to convince you into accepting my offer, but it looks like I didn't have to._ "

Ashton chuckled out loud, causing more whispers to fill the lunchroom. I shifted nervously in my seat. Ashton's laugh wasn't condescending but relieved, like he really cared that I didn't need convincing to accept the app. However, instead of feeling relieved by this, I was put even more on edge than I was before. What exactly was this app? Before I could think any more on the app, a familiar voice rang out through the lunchroom.

"Hey, Markos!"

My blood chilled as Eric Cho and his cronies stalked towards our table like a pack of rabid coyotes. I shouldn't have been surprised that they were here, I practically broadcasted my whereabouts by sitting with the most popular boy in school. I knew I should have requested to meet somewhere more private!

"I've got a bone to pick with you, Markos," Eric growled, leaning down so that his face was inches from mine. "You know, I got detention for the crap you pulled yesterday."

Crap _I_ pulled?! He was the one that hit Cecil! I ground my teeth, trying desperately to stop myself from shouting that very fact at the delinquent, knowing that it would only make things words. Fortunately, or possibly unfortunately, Ashton decided to speak.

"If I recall correctly, it was _you_ that was responsible for your own punishment."

You could hear a pin drop it was so quiet. No one, and I mean _no one_ talked back to Eric Cho. Not even the teachers dared to speak at him (which was why it was amazing that they had even given him a detention) for fear of angering the principal. I suppose that if anyone could challenge the delinquent and not fear retribution it was Ashton.

Eric slowly turned towards Ashton, eyes blinking as if seeing the sophomore for the first time. "What was that?"

"Oh, I didn't realize that you were deaf along with dumb," Ashton replied calmly as if he hadn't just insulted Eric. He turned to fully face the mohawked teen. "I said that _you_ were responsible for your punishment as it was _you_ who decided that it was appropriate to strike a woman."

Whispers once again started up at Ashton's last comment. While it was well known that Eric Cho was a bully, there was a line that shouldn't be crossed and that line was hitting a helpless _girl_. I know, it was a patriarchal view, but Silver Oak was fairly traditional. Eric shifted nervously, glancing around nervously.

"H-Hey. That's not how—" he tried to explain, but Ashton spoke over him.

"Not to mention that I was the one that reported you, not Cadmus here. Then again, Cadmus _did_ say that you were incredibly stupid."

I said what now?

Eric was thinking the same thing as he returned his glare to me. "What did you say about me punk?" he growled.

"N-Nothing!" I tried to say, only for Ashton to speak over me.

"He said that you were an ignorant waste of space who's only skating by through school thanks to Daddy's friendship with the principal."

I stared open mouthed at the Ashton. What the hell was he thinking?! I never said those things! He was going to get me killed!

A startled cry left my mouth as I was lifted from my seat by the collar of my uniform. I soon found myself face to face with an enraged Eric Cho. "A waste of space, am I?" he snarled like a rabid beast. I was so close to his face that I could smell onions(?) on his breath, whether it was this or fear that caused tears to prickle at the corner of my eyes I wasn't sure.

I tried to plead my innocence, to deny what Ashton had said, but no words left me. I was terrified out of my mind. I could hardly compose any coherent thoughts, though the only thing I could think of was that I was about to die.

"I'll show you ignorant!" Eric roared, pulling back his fist to punch me in the face. He would have succeeded had Ashton not called to me through the link cable.

" _Quick! Shout Burst Link!_ " Ashton's voice cut through the static in my mind, prompting me to react.

"Burst link!" I shouted desperately, shutting my eyes to brace for the pain. The second I did, everything changed.

All at once I felt a force impact against my chest. At first, I thought it was Eric's punch, but it didn't hurt. It was more like a gentle, yet forceful push. I fell back, somehow slipping out of Eric's grip and falling on my rear.

"Ouch," I said out of instinct, though I felt no pain. I opened my eyes to see what had pushed me and gaped at what laid before me.

Everything was blue. The walls, the windows, the tables. Everything, but that wasn't what shocked me. What really got me was the fact that I was staring at myself, bright blue and seemingly frozen, still held within Eric's grip, who was seconds away from punching me.

"What the hell?" I murmured, glancing around at the lunchroom. Like…my body(?) and Eric's body, every other student was frozen blue. "What's going on?" I scratched my head, hopelessly confused. It was then I realized that my hand was covered in fur.

I physically jolted, staring at my hand and then the rest of my body. I was in my avatar! What the heck is going on?!

"Surprising, isn't it? I too was awestruck the first time I accelerated."

I spun around at the voice and was greeted by Ashton, or rather his avatar. "What is this place?" I asked.

"The accelerated world," Ashton replied simply, gesturing with his arms to the frozen world around us. "The realm of the Burst Linker."

"The…accelerated world? Burst Linker" I asked.

"A world only accessible through the Brain Burst program. Those that can access this world are known as burst linkers," Ashton explained, walking over to his frozen self. "While it would appear that everything here is frozen in place, that is not the case. What you currently see is actually a 3D generation of images created by the multitude of security cameras that are here in the lunchroom. By utilizing accelerated brainwaves, we can see this world through our neuro linkers."

"So we're seeing this through our brain waves? But how is that possible?" I asked. "If we are really perceiving everything around us through our brains, shouldn't everything be moving at the same rate as normal?"

Ashton smiled, as if amused by my question. "That's a rather intelligent question. You're clearly smarter than most give you credit for." I blushed slightly at the praise, but, thankfully, my white fur covered it up. "You are correct, everything around us should be moving at a pace that we're accustomed to, however, Brain Burst uses _accelerated_ brainwaves."

"How much faster are accelerated brainwaves?" I asked.

"About one thousand times faster," Ashton answer, causing me to go slack jawed. "For every second that passes in the real world, one thousand seconds pass here. In other words, sixteen minutes and forty seconds per second."

"That's unreal," I said in awe.

Ashton nodded, walking over to my frozen…real… _whatever_ body. "With this power, you can essentially pause time giving someone who, say, is about to get punched time to think of a course of action."

I frowned in thought. "So I could avoid getting hit?" I questioned, my mind becoming active with the possibilities that this system could be used for. "Is this how you beat me score in _Slash and Dash_?"

"Indeed," Ashton said, nodding regally. "I won't lie, at the speed that those lasers were going, even with this ability it was incredibly difficult to go past level 60."

I nodded, accepting the answer. "So I can just burst link every time Eric throws a punch," I reasoned.

"Yes, however, while you can do that, you don't need to." I frowned at the princely looking avatar.

"What do you mean?" Ashton smiled kindly at me. He stepped forward, placing a hand on my head. Now that he was so close, I was made blatantly aware of our height difference. While, in the real world, we were closer to the same height, with Ashton being a few inches taller, my avatar was considerably shorter than I was in real life, allowing Ashton to stand an entire foot taller than me.

"I have seen your reflexes first hand. You are fully capable of avoiding such sloppy attacks," Ashton said with a reassuring smile.

"B-But couldn't I just accelerate to dodge?!" I stuttered. Just looking at the taller teen sent shivers down my spine. I would never be able to overcome my fear long enough to fight, let alone hit Eric, but with Brain Burst… With Brain Burst I could pause reality and steel my nerves before every encounter. I couldn't lose! So why didn't Ashton want me to use it.

"The lasers in _Slash and Dash_ are faster than Eric Cho, especially at the levels you've reached," Ashton said.

"But I can't _fight_ him! He's…I'm…" I glanced at the frozen delinquent. "I'm too afraid." I shut my eyes, not wanting to look at the condescending gaze that I was sure Ashton was sporting. "I'm scared to face him. He's so much bigger and stronger than me, he would literally tear me apart."

"And are you scared now?" Ashton asked, his voice surprisingly soft and caring.

"N-No," I answered truthfully.

"Then hold on to that feeling. As I said, you are more than capable of dealing with someone like Eric Cho." I opened my eyes and saw that Ashton wore not a look of condescension or even pity. He was smiling benignly at me, as if he truly believed in me.

"But I've never fought someone before," I whispered, blushing slightly.

"Sometimes fighting fire with fire causes more destruction than simply using water," Ashton said cryptically. "Now, calm yourself. Take a deep breath and center yourself."

Taking the elder teen's advice and sucked in a deep breath. Steadily, my rapidly beating heart began to slow, a calm coming over me. I was still scared, but I felt strangely…confident? I looked up at Ashton, who was still smiling at me. Seeing me calm, he nodded his head and took a step back. "You're ready," he said simply.

I swallowed and nodded in response. I turned to face Eric, flinching slightly at his frozen sneer, before my confidence came rushing back. "How do we get back?" I managed to ask.

"You simply say 'Burst Out'," he answered, moving to stand behind his real body. The second he said this, his avatar disappeared from view.

I turned back to Eric, taking another deep breath to calm my nerves. "Well, Geronimo," I muttered before saying in a much more confident voice, "Burst out!"

I only had a second to get accustomed to being thrust back into my body before I threw myself to the side, narrowly avoiding Eric's punch. I quickly unplugged the cable from my neuro gear and brought up my arms in a rather poor, but clear fighting pose. When Eric saw this, he let out a bellow of a laugh.

"A-Are you serious? Y-You're going to fight me? That's rich!" he snickered, grinning maliciously. "Fine then, you're just making things harder on yourself!" With that, he charged, fist cocked back for another punch.

A startled yelp escaped me as I jumped to the side, causing the larger teen to stumble past me. He whirled around, a snarl on his face. With an angry roar, he charged me yet again, only for the same thing to happen.

"Stop running, you coward!" he shouted, angrily throwing another punch my way. "You're only delaying the inevitable!"

I ducked under the punch and scurried under Eric's arm, ending up behind him. My heart was pounding, my palms sweaty, it was getting hard to breath. I had never been in a situation like this. Normally I would be cowering under such blows, bracing myself against the encroaching pain, but this time it was different. I felt…invigorated, like I had just taken a hit of expresso. I was still scared out of my mind, but it was exhilarating. Like what I would assume riding a roller coaster was like.

Around us, every person in the lunchroom was watching with rapt attention, even the cafeteria workers were completely enthralled by the 'fight'. Seriously, what kind of adult just _watches_ two kids fight without stepping in? They shouldn't be working in a school.

The mohawked teen turned, his eyes burning with an enraged fire…

Fire…

Ashton's final words from back in the accelerated world. I risked a glanced towards the sophomore, meeting his gaze. He looked almost imploringly at me though his expression was blank. I slowly nodded, understanding his unspoken words.

My attention was pulled back to Eric as he gave an almost feral roar as he charged me, but I was ready. As he swung with his right fist, I lashed out with my own right hand, but not as a punch. Almost in slow motion, I brought my right hand to the outside of Eric's arm, twisted it and grabbed its wrist. Running on pure adrenaline, I tugged on his arm while moving with it, ending up parallel with Eric. With the added momentum and no target, Eric not only stumbled forward but actually fell _over_ a table, landing on top of someone's lunch.

The room was quiet once again. Everyone was staring at me, shocked at what I had just done. A low groan came from Eric, bringing attention to him. He slid off of the table, falling onto unsteady feet. His once pristine uniform was stained with splotches of ketchup and some other condiment. A glob of mashed potatoes was sliding down his sleeve and crushed peas decorated his chest like sequins. An entire slice of pizza was stuck to the side of his face.

A beat passed before the entire lunchroom erupted into fits of laughter and loud cheers. I flinched at the initial explosion of sound, before looking around in shock. They were laughing at _Eric_ and cheering for _me_! On a daily basis, whenever Eric was in the mood to push me around (sometimes literally), it was the other way around. Still in shock, I turned towards Ashton who was giving me a small (proud?) smile. The approval, not only from Ashton, but from the rest of the students present felt…strangely good. For the first time in a long time, I felt proud of myself.

However, that feeling soon fled my body when a loud angry roar filled the room. "SHUT UP!"

Stricken once more with fear, I turned back towards Eric who was now shaking in absolute fury. My heart sank to the pit of my stomach as I watched him pull out a three-inch switchblade. He glared at me with murderous intent. "I'm going to kill you, you little freak!" he spat, stalking towards me, his knife held high.

I was paralyzed, unable to act as Eric approached. In the back of my mind a little voice was telling me to burst link, to escape to the accelerated world to think of a course of action, but I couldn't. I was too afraid.

Eric was right in front of me, close enough for me to feel his hot breath rush over my face. He didn't say a word, but his murderous gaze promised me nothing but the most gruesome and painful death. He held his knife to my cheek, the cold steel biting at my cheek. I felt a small trickle of blood roll down my cheek, but I still couldn't move.

"I'm going to cut you up so bad that that little scar on your face will look like a paper cut," he whispered in a sickening, oily voice, leaning in so that only I could hear him. I felt my heart stutter in my chest, the mention of my scar bringing back terrible memories that only added onto the intense fear I was already feeling.

I could only watch as Eric raised his hand, preparing to bring his knife down in me. I shut my eyes, preparing for the worst, when something shoved me to the ground and out of the way. A loud shriek filled the silent room, prompting my eyes to snap open on instinct. Standing in front of Eric, right where I had once stood, was Ashton, his left arm raised in front of his face, a bloody gash running down his arm.

In the next five seconds, two things happened. One, Eric stumbled back, dropping his knife in shock and two, the lunchroom doors burst open and three security guards burst in along with half of the teachers. In less than a minute, Eric Cho was in handcuffs and Ashton was being escorted to an ambulance.

Before he was put in the emergency vehicle, Ashton grabbed my arm, as I, and many other students, followed him outside. "I apologize for that. I did not anticipate that he would pull out a weapon. I was hoping that security would come in and get him kicked out of school before he could actually hurt you. In a way, this way works better."

"Why'd you push me out of the way?" I all but demanded, asking the question that had been plaguing me.

Ashton just smiled. "You're my responsibility now. I would be remiss if I aloud you to get hurt due to a situation I put you in." The paramedics pulled him into the vehicle and were about to shut the door when a look of realization dawned on Ashton's face. He grabbed the door and poked his head out to say one final thing. "Indecently, turn off your nerve gear and don't turn it back on until I see you tomorrow. I will explain then."

Before I could question him, the doors slammed shut and the ambulance sped away. Behind me, excited whispers rippled through the assembled crowd. I could feel several intense gazes boring holes into my back, but I paid them no mind. All I could think about was the slightly cryptic words Ashton had left me with and how I was suddenly filled with regret over my hasty decision to accept the Brain Burst program.

-Rise of the Dragon-

That night, I had terrible nightmares. I was surrounded by darkness, a never-ending void of black. At first, I was just standing there in absolute silence. It wasn't exactly peaceful, but it was oddly calming, at least, it was until the voices started.

They started soft, hardly above a whisper, but as they grew louder, I recognized the words as insults. Shouts of how useless I was. How pathetic and pitiful I was. The same insults that I heard on an almost daily basis. Each word felt like a physical blow, slamming against my body like a flurry of punches.

The voices, I recognized several of them from school, Eric being the most prominent. However, there were two other voices that joined. Cecil and Barnaby's voices, both of whom I had avoided the previous day, too joined in the cacophony of insults and degrading. I could hear Barnaby calling me pathetic and Cecil regretting ever having befriended me. There was an audible snap as I felt something in me break as their voices joined the demented chorus, leaving what felt like a hollow hole in my chest

The void flickered around me and several large, white porcelain masks formed around me. Their mouths were twisted into vicious sneers. Dark water poured from their open mouths, flooding the enclosed space that I hadn't even realized I was in.

The water swirled around the space, completely submerging me in the dark liquid. I struggled to keep myself above the water but it was heavy. It swirled around me, pulling me down into its seemingly endless depths. The entire time, the words just grew louder and louder, not at all dampened by the water around me. I struggled as hard as I could, but the water and words just continued to way me down. Just when it felt like I was going to pass out from lack of air, I woke up.

With a large gasp, I sat up in my bed. I greedily sucked in the very air that had been denied to me, dream or not, and tried to calm my rapidly beating heart. I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the feeling of suffocation. Still slightly dazed, my eyes roamed over to my clock. The numbers flashed 6:15…

…CRAP!

I scrambled out of bed and rushed towards my closet. I was late!

"Why didn't my alarm go off?" I asked aloud as I struggled to put on my pants, while simultaneously brushing my teeth. Checking my neuro linker, I blanched when I found that it was off. Why the hell was it off?!

I quickly turned on my neuro linker and finished getting dressed. There wasn't any time to grab anything to eat, so I just ran out of my apartment. I said hello to Mrs. Flannigan, who was strangely still outside, and stepped out into the city. I had almost made it to the subway station when everything changed.

Everything froze like I had just burst liked, making me question whether I had somehow accelerated. In the blink of an eye, the pedestrians I was walking next to faded away, leaving me alone. The buildings around me too faded but were replaced by equally large sakura blossom trees. The once paved street was now a large creek with the sidewalks being replaced by dirt roads. A red, wooden bridge connected the two sides across the water.

Before I could fully comprehend the changes around me, the words 'Here Comes A New Challenger' appeared in front of me and disintegrated just as fast. My eyes followed the dust-like remnants towards the sky where an old, slightly rusted, metal block floated in the sky. On the front of the box were three numbers appeared. On either side, two long gauges sat, each one with a blue bar resting in the center. Under the one on my left was the name…

"Platinum…Dragon?" I muttered. Without even thinking, I extended my arm only to freeze when I saw that my arm was metallic. "What the hell?!"

On a whim, I peered over the edge and into the water. My head was reptilian in style with two flat and sharply curved horns on either side of my head. My mouth was a rounded lizard-like snout with mouth guard having the appearance of two interlocking jaws filled with razor sharp teeth that didn't seem to move. In the center of my forehead sat a soft blue triangle-shaped gem that glistened in the light and two equally blue eyes stared back at me. Looking closer at my eyes, I saw that they looked almost like glass with no sign of eyelids.

Moving my gaze lower, I saw that my body had changed as well. I looked like a bipedal, robot dragon with sharp claws, both on my hands and feet. I noted that I was almost a foot taller than I was in my human body, which was about five feet seven. I had a rather slim build, though bulkier than my normal body, with heavy plating on my chest, shoulders, arms and feet, giving me the appearance that I was wearing armor. It looked like I was wearing heavy metal boots with three sharp claws poking out and my forearm and hands were equally armored with my fingers being tipped with claws. A tail swung lazily behind me.

My entire form was a light silvery almost white color with my stomach, biceps, thighs, and throat (the places where there was no plating) being covered by a dark gray Kevlar-like material. I also appeared rather smooth with no sharp edges on me save form my claws and horns. Looking closer I could see two small orbs protruding from my clawed hand/gauntlets and a larger, diamond shaped one rested over my sternum. All in all, I looked like a humanoid dragon robot.

Not going to lie, I looked pretty badass, but still…

"What the hell is going on?" I wondered aloud.

"A newbie, huh?" a deep voice said, causing me to look up. Standing across the bridge was what appeared to be a stereotypical samurai. Or at least, it looked like one, albeit slightly robotic like me.

Their armor was a dark blue with golden trim with a shingle-like design to it. Their face was that of a kabuki mask, the same color as the rest of their armor with golden fangs curling out from the lips. A pyramid shaped helm rested upon their head with a golden crest shaped like a 'V' in the center. A long katana was held loosely in their right hand.

"Normally, I don't like to fight against newbies as I find little honor in defeating those that do not yet know the rules of this game," the samurai spoke. Despite their face having no visible expression, I could feel genuine regret in their words. "However…" Their head snapped up and a determined fire seemed to glow behind their mask's empty eye holes. "I am in no position to be picky!"

I opened my mouth, or it felt like I did, but my faceplate didn't move, to question what he meant before the word 'Fight' appeared in front of me before fading. Was this…a game?!

"I apologize in advance," the samurai spoke again, pulling me from my thoughts, "but I cannot afford to go easy on you, even if you are a newbie." They sunk into a low crouch, their second hand coming up to grip their sword. "Now…taste the blade of Midnight Samurai!"

With a shout, the robotic samurai charged me, clearing the bridge in a single bound, their blade raised and poised to remove my head from my body.

"Wait, WHAAAAT?!" I shrieked.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Learning Curve

" _Didn't I ask you_ not _to turn on your neuro linker until we met me today?_ " Ashton asked through the connection cable.

I ducked my head in shame. Ashton didn't sound angry, just disappointed, which made me feel even worse. " _Sorry,_ " I said. " _I forgot…_ "

" _Clearly,_ " Ashton drawled. " _At least now it will be easier to explain things._ "

" _Yeah, what was all that?_ " I asked. " _One second I was walking to the train station and the next if felt like I had accelerated, except everything turned into a Chinese Style garden with a bridge and sakura trees and a crazy robotic samurai swinging a sword at me!_ "

" _A samurai…Ah, you must have been fighting Midnight Samurai,_ " Ashton said. " _Strange, he normally goes easy on newbies…_ "

" _He mentioned not being in a position to go easy on me,_ " I said, thinking back to my earlier fight, or rather my near instant bisection. I blinked as a sudden though ran through me head. " _Wait…you_ know _Midnight Samurai?!_ "

" _Not personally, but I have encountered him on more than one occasion,_ " Ashton responded coolly, taking a sip of his drink. " _If he truly was pressed as you say he was, chances are he was pressed for points._ "

" _Points?_ " I asked curiously.

" _Accelerate and I will show you,_ " Ashton said.

I nodded and did as I was told. Once more, I found myself in the form of my fox avatar, standing in the center of a blue tinged world. It was still unnerving to see myself frozen the way I was, but I was slowly getting used to it. I turned my attention to Ashton, who appeared to be waiting patiently. When he saw that I was looking at him, he smiled marginally.

"Good. Now, if you look on the left side of your screen, you will see a new icon has appeared for Brain Burst. Click it and select 'Match Making List'," Ashton instructed. As I did so, a screen appeared before me and listed Platinum Dragon and Ivor Paladin. "There should only be two names as we are currently the only two burst linkers logged onto the school's Wi-Fi. Yours and my own"

"Okay," I said.

"Now, select my name and challenge me to a duel."

"Challenge? So, this _is_ a fighting game," I muttered to myself. I hesitated for half a second, note exactly comfortable with the concept of fighting Ashton, but I decided to heed his words and selected a duel. The second I did, everything fell a way like it did before, the lunchroom reverted into what looked like a coliseum pit. Hanging in the air was the blue bar and the 1800 second timer that was counting down. Also like before, I shifted into my dragon-like form, my metallic body glinting in the sunlight.

"What is this place?" I asked, glancing around at the coliseum. Strangely enough, the structure and shape of everything was oddly similar to that of the lunchroom.

"The dueling field," Ashton's voice called from behind him. "Like the accelerated world, this place is a randomly generated field that reflects the same three-dimensional model the accelerated world is based off of."

Turning, I was greeted with the sight of Ashton in his normal avatar walking towards me, an appraising look on his face. He stopped a foot in front of me, looking my form over with a critical eye.

"So that's your Duel Avatar. Metallic Avatars are incredibly rare, though I can't say I'm surprised that you have one," he said, almost to himself. "Light weight, but fairly well armored," he said to himself. "A truly interesting design."

"Um…why do you look like that while I look this?" I cut through his mutterings.

"Oh!" Ashton exclaimed, seemingly just realizing what he was doing. "Sorry about that, I tend to ramble when faced with something interesting." I felt myself marginally blush at that, though I don't think it showed on my avatar. "Anyway, the form you are currently in is a representation of all your hopes and fears."

"My hopes and fears?" I asked. "How did the app get all of that?"

"Last night, do you remember having a strange dream?" Ashton asked, seemingly out of the blue.

"Yeah, now that you mention it, I did," I said, thinking back with a shiver.

"Well, that was the Brain Burst program scanning your brain and compiling data of everything about you. With that data, the program designed your look, name, and abilities," Ashton said. "In other words, your avatar is a reflection of your insecurities."

"I see…" I muttered, glancing down at my clawed hands. "So, does that mean that your avatar was created by Brain Burst too?"

"No, this is an avatar of my own creation," Ashton explained. "It's a long and overly complex story, but I had to seal away my own avatar, name and all."

"You sealed it away?" I asked in surprise. "But why?"

"Let's just say my life is complicated," he said evasively. Before I could question his decision, he quickly changed the subject. "Regardless, think back to the end of your fight with Midnight Samurai. Did you notice anything?"

"…Yeah, there was a screen that said my name and level one and…something called Burst Points going from ninety-nine to eighty-nine," I recalled. "What exactly are Burst Points."

"They are the reason that we do battle, the reason we compete against other burst linkers!" Ashton exclaimed. A sudden wind blew through the coliseum and caused his cape to flutter, adding to the tense, dramatic air that Ashton had created. "Burst Points…are the very thing that allow us to accelerate!"

"They allow us to accelerate?" I parroted, my eyes widening.

"Each acceleration is equal to one Burst Point," Ashton continued. "The only way to earn more points is to win fights with other Burst Linkers. By winning a fight, you earn ten points and, as I'm sure you figured out, you lose the same amount when you lose."

"Whoa…" I gaped.

"The power from acceleration is unlike anything imaginable. With it, you can win fights, be a star athlete, ace every test, the possibilities are virtually endless. Once you get a taste of what life is like as a burst linker, there is no choice but to fight in order to maintain this amazing ability."

It was an incredible thought, that such an amazing ability was obtainable through what was essentially a videogame! A frown made its way onto my face as something occurred to me. "But what happens if you run out of points?" I asked.

Ashton gaze seemed to hold a weight to them that made me regret asking. The sophomore's closed off expression sent chills down my spine and I knew I wouldn't like the answer. "If you lose all your points…you lose the Brain Burst program along with all memories associated with it forever. There is no way to ever reinstall it, even if your change your neuro linker as the program recognizes your brain waves."

I couldn't formulate any words. The premise of not only losing the app, but also my memories was…terrifying. Could an app really have that much of an affect? It seemed unbelievable yet…

"If you wish to uninstall the app now, I will not hold it against you." Ashton's cool voice cut through my thoughts, bringing me back to the present.

"Huh?"

"I understand if this is a lot to deal with," Ashton said, looking at the coliseum that surrounded us. "Your bullies are gone and will not bother you again, that I promise, so if you want to return to the life you led until now, I will not hold it against you."

He turned back to me, his green eyes burrowing deep into my soul. "The choice is yours."

I sucked in a deep breath, my mind racing furiously. Did I really want this? To have to fight constantly in order to maintain the program. Was it all worth it. Was this what I wanted?

My hands clenched into fists, my decision set. "All my life, I have experience nothing but hell. The bullying, the loneliness, I dealt with it everyday of my life. It got to the point that I had given up and accepted it as my life, but then you came."

I looked at Ashton dead in the eye. "You saved me from the hell that was my life and, while I feel you did it in order to get something in return—" His eyes widened at that, but I pressed on "—I have to repay you for what you did for me. Because of that, I won't delete the program."

"…you think I wanted something in return?" Ashton asked.

"Well, why wouldn't you," I laughed tonelessly. "After all, I'm a pathetic waste of space. The only thing I have going for me is my videogame playing skills, I mean, why else would you choose me of all people, but even so, I…I want to be more than that!"

If my avatar could cry, I would be blubbering like a baby as I basically bared my heart and soul to the person before me. "I don't want to be seen as a waste of space any longer. I want to be somebody who can hold their head high and walk with confidence like you and to do that, I know I need this program. For that reason, I will become a Burst Linker and I will follow your direction from here on out!"

Ashton looked at me with an unreadable expression for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, he sighed and bowed his head. "I see. Well, I am truly grateful for your decision. Admittedly, I have gotten into a bit of trouble and I believe that you can help."

"I'll do what I can," I said immediately.

"You won't be able to do much as you are now, but that is the purpose of this meeting," Ashton said, stepping away from me and moving to the other end of the field. "Pull up your menu if you would."

I did so, pulling up a screen with a border that matched the health bars and timer that floated above. The screen was split into two, the upper section labeled 'Normal' with 'Claw' and 'Tail Swing' underneath and underneath that, separated by a line, was the words 'Special Move' and "Horn Rush".

"Those are your moves," Ashton explained. "The top ones are classified as passive, meaning you can use them without manually activating them. They also don't use up your special move gauge, the empty bar underneath your health. This bar fills up as you either do damage to an opponent or your take damage yourself. This bar tracks how many times you can use your special move."

"So, I can use normal attacks passively and special attacks sparingly," I reasoned.

"Correct," Ashton said. "Now, let's focus on your normal attacks and combat for now."

As Ashton said this, a large, beautiful greatsword appeared in his hand. The blade itself was pure white that seemed to glow with an ethereal glow. A golden guard that wrapped around the blade like tree roots. At the end of the pommel was what appeared to be a sapphire.

Ashton swung the newly formed blade around a few times, an incredible feat seeing as the blade was almost as tall as him. Not to mention he was holding it with only one hand. Seemingly satisfied, Ashton turned back towards me and smiled. While it seemed calm and kind, that smile made a shiver go down my spine.

"Now, let's test how you are in combat, Cadmus," he said before rushing towards me at startling speeds.

"WAH!" I shrieked, just barely jumping away from his swing. "What the hell?!"

"As I said, you can't help me unless you are capable of succeeding in this game," Ashton replied coolly, twirling is sword in a casual manner. "As such, I will teach you all the ins and outs of this program."

Ashton then grinned evilly, hefting the massive blade over his shoulder. "Starting with combat."

With that, Ashton once more lunged towards me, sword poised to cut through my neck. Unfortunately, I wasn't as quick this time around and his sword managed to graze my chestplate as leaned away.

"GAH!" I cried out in pain as I felt as if the blade cut through my actual flesh. "I felt that!"

"Of course, Brain Burst makes combat as realistic as possible." Ashton tilted his head. "Didn't you notice when you were fighting Midnight Samurai?"

I blushed, or it felt like I did. Virtual reality was weird. "I guess I didn't notice," I said sheepishly.

Ashton hummed disbelievingly but said nothing more. "Regardless, while the program does allow pain, it is not only filtered to manageable levels and fades rather quickly."

"Huh?" Now that I thought about it, the pain _was_ gone. "Why is it like that?" I asked curiously.

"I imagine the developers did this to allow Burst Linkers to continue fighting even after losing a limb," Ashton said.

"Lose…a limb?" I gulped, shivering at the mere thought of my arm being severed by another player.

"As I said, there is a pain filtering system, so you would feel pain, most likely a great deal, but nowhere near as much as you would if you actually lost a limb," Ashton said as if he had read my mind.

"Oh…"

"Moving on, if you would look up…" Ashton said, gesturing to the floating bars above us. Glancing up, I noticed that the bar above 'Platinum Dragon' had shrunk a bit. "That blue bar represents your health," he explained. "As with any game, once you run out of health, you lose."

I nodded. That was videogame 101. "I take that the numbered dial in the middle of the health bars is a timer?" I asked.

Ashton smiled. "You're catching on. Yes, that is a timer and when that number hits zero, the one with the most health wins."

"That makes sense," I said. "So, what's the deal with the sword. How'd you summon it?"

"This sword is my avatar's main weapon, or my normal attack," he explained. "It does slashing damage, which you, judging by your armor, are resistant to, as is the case with most metallic Avatars."

"Metallic?" I questioned, glancing at my form. "What does that mean?"

"Duel Avatars can come in various shapes and sizes. Additionally, each Avatar's name starts with a color that represents an Avatar's designated ability." Ashton swiped his hand and a menu appeared before him showing a pentagon with five colors. "There are five primary colors, each representing what an Avatar excels at. Red is long-range, yellow is jamming, green is defense, blue is close-range, and purple is multi-range. Typically, every Avatar will be a certain shade of the five colors I have just mentioned, however, there are exceptions."

"Like metal colors," I said, to which Ashton nodded.

"Metal colors, however, are different. As the name suggests, the color the comes before their name is a metal straight from the periodic table. As an Avatar with a metal color, you have resistance against poison damage and susceptibility to electric based attacks."

"I see," I said while frowning in thought. "What makes people get a metal color versus the normal colors?"

Ashton regarded me with an almost careful expression. "As I said before, the system scans your brain to create your Duel Avatar. To determine what color one's Avatar will take, the system analyzes a user's innermost desire and assigns it to a category that fits. For example: one with the desire to overcome one's obstacles will be blue and one who wishes to have the strength to reach far off places will be red."

"Okay, so what category gets you metal?"

"I was getting to that," Ashton lightly scolded. "The desire that designates someone as a metal color is the desire to protect one's own heart from harm."

"To protect one's own heart from harm?" I repeated. Is that truly what I desire?

Ashton stood silently, allowing the information he had just spoken to sink in. "Now, with all of that out of the way, let's get back to combat." He once more twirled his blade and leveled it at me. "Think of this as the tutorial fight of a videogame and do your best. I will help you along the way."

"W-Wait! Hold on a second!" I exclaimed, not at all ready to begin fighting. I still had a lot of questions! Unfortunately for me, Ashton ignored my pleas and charged yet again.

-Rise of the Dragon-

When the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, I was incredibly nervous. Despite the torture (sparring) that I did with Ashton during lunch, I still felt apprehension about what I was going to do. Despite still having eighty-nine burst points (Ashton allowed me a few hits so that our 'duel' would end in a tie) Ashton's words of losing not only Brain Burst, but also my memories of the program, and everything revolving around it, terrified me. As I walked to the front gates of the school, all I could think was that I wasn't ready.

"You'll be fine," Ashton said, coming to stand behind me and placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Remember, despite the real-world implications of it, Brain Burst, at its core, is a video game."

"Yeah, one that incorporates a first-person combat system with pain filters," I laughed mirthlessly. "I don't think I'm ready for this."

"I admit, your fighting style is a bit sloppy," Ashton confessed, "but that is to be expected from a newbie. In all honesty, you're a lot better than most new Burst Linkers."

"So, what? I'm some kind of Brain Burst prodigy? That won't exactly help me against an experienced Burst Linker," I pointed out.

"Midnight Samurai isn't as experienced as you may think," Ashton said. "While he has certainly had Brain Burst for longer than you, he too is level one. I'm fully confident that you can win this battle."

"Thanks," I said half-heartedly, though I was grateful for his words.

He patted my shoulder, smiling an easy smile. "Don't worry, you have a plan, remember?"

"Right…a plan…" It had taken our remaining time to figure out a plan to combat Midnight Samurai. Typically, in a battle, I wouldn't get the time to come up with a plan, but since this was my first (technically second) battle, there would be some leeway, or so Ashton said. Originally, Ashton had proposed a hit-and-run tactic, but I had shot it down.

I may be a nobody, but I have pride. If I was going to when, I would face him head on.

"Remember, with your armor, you are resistant to his sword strikes, but your stomach is vulnerable. Block when you can and dodge when you can't."

"Right," I gulped. I took a deep breath in order to calm myself. It only partially worked. "Okay, I'm ready."

Ashton nodded and gave me a slight push towards the front gate, and outside the school's connection. "Then I wish you the best of luck, Platinum Dragon."

The second I took a step outside of the school, I accelerated and the real game begun.

-Rise of the Dragon-

Stepping forward, I found it ironic that the supposedly random generated field was, once again the Sakura Field, as I learned it was called. It was almost fitting that I we would face each other here once again.

"Huh? This guy's fighting Midnight Samurai again? After the beating he got last time? Not very smart if you ask me."

"Good thing no one asked you."

I spun around, startled by the unfamiliar voices. To my surprise, sitting on the roofs of several of the buildings were several Duel Avatars, or at least I assumed that's what they were given their robotic appearance. Were they here to fight too? No, that didn't make sense, I only initiated a duel between myself and Midnight Samurai. Were they…spectators? Were they there before?

"I see you have returned." I turned and saw Midnight Samurai walking leisurely towards me from across one of the bridges. "I take it you seek retribution."

"Y-Yeah," I answered, cursing myself for stuttering.

"I see. I should have expected as much," Midnight Samurai coming to a stop just at the end of the bridge. I could feel his gaze roaming over my form, surveying me and most likely looking for weaknesses. "You have changed since last we fought. Your stance…it is much more confident and strong. An impressive change for one as new to the game as you. Your Guardian must truly be a capable Burst Linker."

"Yeah, they are," I said, a little uncertainly.

He nodded, still staring at me. "I feel that I should apologize once more for taking advantage of your newbie status. As I said, I was desperate for points, something that I am sure your Guardian has stressed the importance of."

"They did."

He nodded. "Well then, I will say that I am in a much better standing than I was before. As such, I must thank you for your sacrifice," he continued. "I would be willing to go easy on you this time, seeing as you helped me earlier…"

That immediately rubbed me the wrong way. I didn't want charity. I didn't want to be babied. I made this duel to assert myself as a Burst Linker. Like hell would I be undermined!

I opened my mouth to say such, but Midnight Samurai pressed on. "…however, I can see that that would be a grave insult against you." He slowly unsheathed his sword and leveled it parallel with the ground, sinking into a low stance as he did so. "Knowing this…I won't hold back!"

With a shout, he jumped forward at startling speeds, sword poised to cleave through my neck. I immediately brought my arms up in defense, catching the sword in an x block with my forearms. I winced in pain, noting that a small chunk of my health was lost in the block.

"Good, good! You are much faster than before. You no longer cower when an enemy is baring down upon you!" the samurai complemented, despite pressing harder against my arms.

"Thanks," I gritted out through clenched teeth.

Midnight Samurai seemed to grin, though his metallic face showed no sign of change. He pressed harder onto my arms, causing his blade to sink a little bit further into my armored arms. With a growl, I thrusted my arms away from me, forcing the samurai's blade out of my arms and causing him to stumble. I tried to back away, but Midnight Samurai spun around and kicked me right in my unarmored stomach.

I grunted in pain, actually falling to the ground from the hit. Slightly stunned, I was just barely able to roll out of the way of Midnight Samurai's katana as he plunged it into the ground where my head used to be. I then lashed out with my foot and kicked out my opponent's leg, sending him to the ground next to me. I quickly rolled to my feet and tried to punch, but the blue Duel Avatar managed to block my attack with his sword.

I stumbled back, noting that I had taken some damage from the block. "Seriously? Something like that can cause damage?"

"Of course. After all, you essentially just punched my sword," Midnight Samurai said, getting to his feet once again.

I guess that makes sense…

"You can think about this when we aren't fighting!" Midnight Samurai's sudden shout snapped me back to the task at hand just in time to dodge another swing from the samurai's sword.

Midnight Samurai attacked viciously, swinging his sword fervently yet controlled. I was hard-pressed to avoid them all, but even still I got a few nicks for my trouble. Thank God for my armor.

"Is this all that guy can do?" I heard one of the spectators ask. "I expected more from a metal color."

"And here I was thinking that he had stepped up from this morning," another said.

A twinge of annoyance sparked in me. They wanted a show? Well then…I'll give them a show!

When Midnight Samurai swung his blade again, instead of backing up or sidestepping, I ducked under the blade. Midnight Samurai made a noise of surprise and tried back away, but I was too close. Before he could react, I jumped straight up, raking my claws along his body with my claws.

"GAAH!" Midnight Samurai cried out in pain and stumbled backwards, clutching his chest. Five long grooves stretched up his front armor, each about an inch deep. Despite his appearance, Midnight Samurai's armor was nowhere near as thick and strong as mine.

High off of my first successful strike, I lunged forward, swinging my claws wildly. They weren't elegant or precise, in fact they were rather crude, but my attacks were getting the job done. He was put completely on the defensive, unable to mount any form of counterattack as I relentlessly clawed at him like a wild animal. He was able to dodge a good number of my attacks, or at least move away enough so that I just grazed him, but I was slowly chipping away at his health.

"RAAH!" Midnight Samurai suddenly shouted, dodging my claws and kicking me hard in the stomach yet again.

The feeling of air being forcibly pushed from my lungs came over me, despite my current form being robotic, as I was sent flying backwards from the insanely powerful kick. I landed on my back but rolled through so I ended up in a crouch, my claws digging into the ground as I continued to slide back. That was a really strong kick!

Midnight Samurai was panting raggedly. Almost all of his armor was covered in scratches of varying length and depth, giving him the appearance that he had lost a fight with a feral cat. Or a rabid lizard.

"I must say, while your attacks are uncoordinated and wild, they are no doubt effective," he said, breathing hard. He sucked in a long, deep breath, before bringing himself to his full height. "However, time is running out, so I will have to end this here and now."

I was immediately on guard. It sounded like he was going to go for something big, most likely his special move. I was preparing to leap out of the way of some awe-inspiring move and I blanched when I saw the samurai type Duel Avatar sheathe his blade. "What are you—?"

"Behold! My special move!" Midnight Samurai announced as he sunk into a low stance, his dominant arm holding the hilt of his blade and his other clutching his sheath.

That was the only warning I got before he exploded forward.

Years of playing _Slash and Dash_ was the thing that saved me from losing right there and then. I pivoted to the side just as Midnight Samurai blurred past me. His body, in the less than half second that I saw him, was glowing a bright blue, his body seemingly frozen in place yet moving like it was on a conveyer belt. A trail of afterimages following him. In the half second it took me to observe him a sharp pain exploded across my chest as a shallow cut, reaching from my left shoulder to my right hip, appeared on my armor.

"What the hell?" I winced, nearly falling to one knee. What the hell was that?! He didn't even unsheathe his sword!

"You are quick, newbie," Midnight Samurai said, the glow around his body fading, his back facing me. "Had you been any slower, that would have severed your head."

I gulped. "What…was that?"

"My special move, Sonic Strike," he answered, turning around to face me. "It is based off of the combative art of swiftly unsheathing and resheathing one's blade, iaidō. With this technique, I can move in almost the blink of an eye, delivering a single strike that can cut through all armor. In other words…"

He once more sunk into a low stance, his hands gripping his sword and sheathe. "…your metal armor will do nothing to stop me!"

In sheer desperation, I dove to the ground just as Midnight Samurai raced by. I couldn't stop myself from crying out as I felt his blade cut through my back. The attack had grazed me, seeing as I wasn't in two pieces, but it still hurt!

Pushing myself to my hands and knees, I stared at Midnight Samurai in horror. That attack…It was unbeatable!

The blue Duel Avatar slowly straightened himself and turned to face me. I expected him to be smug, but his stance seemed…sad? Why was he sad?

"It fills me with no pleasure to cut down a rookie like you, but this is what you will have to expect out of the Brain Burst program. Defeat is a bitter pill to swallow, but you will learn much through it." He spoke like a parent consoling a child that lost a big game. It was obviously supposed to be reassuring, but it sounded arrogant, like he expected to win, and that rubbed me the wrong way.

As I struggled to push myself onto one knee, Midnight Samurai unsheathed his sword and leveled it at me. "Through this defeat, you will become stronger for the future."

I managed to get myself onto one knee, internally seething as the samurai Avatar kept talking. I glanced up at my health bar and cursed under my breath when I saw that I had barely a sliver of health left compared to Midnight Samurai's half health. I was dangerously close to losing, but I could still pull it off. I just had to be smart.

As Midnight Samurai continued to ramble (seriously, the guy just loved listening to himself talk!), my mind began working furiously. Glancing at his special move gauge, I saw that it was just under a third full. Seeing how the gauge had been full when he first attacked me with his Sonic Strike, and that he had just unsheathed his sword, he most likely couldn't use his attack anymore. That being said, he would have to resort to using his normal sword attacks, which I was resistant to, but at such low health…

"…learn from this loss and better yourself!" Midnight Samurai's sudden shout pulled me from my thoughts. The samurai type Duel Avatar, katana clenched tightly within both of his hands, jumped high into the air towards me.

Moving faster than humanly possible, I brought up my hands and caught the sword before it could through my neck. I felt my muscles strain as I desperately tried to keep the blade at bay. The samurai pressed down on me, trying to push past my hands and get to my clavicle. I pushed back the best I could, but the blade was starting to inch towards me.

"You…are…delaying…the inevitable!" Midnight Samurai gritted through what I assumed to be clenched teeth.

I didn't respond, not trusting my voice not to crack. I was backed into corner and things were looking bad for me.

…Or at least that's what it looked like from an outside perspective, but my Duel Avatar had one more technique at its disposal. One that I had, admittedly, forgotten about until that moment.

"I commend your tenacity, but it will end now!" Midnight Samurai exclaimed. "You are truly a strong Burst Linker and I'm su-GAAK!"

The samurai-based Avatar coughed violently as he was struck directly in his sternum by my tail. My _prehensile_ tail. Midnight Samurai was sent crashing to the ground, clutching his chest and coughing. He managed to lift his head and I could practically feel his surprised look. Said look fell away as anger flicker behind his mask.

"That was a dirty trick!" he shouted, losing his formal tone and shifting to the whiny voice of a kid who didn't get their way.

I didn't respond to him as I got to my feet. My legs shook a little, but I refused to fall. If I could, I would be smiling widely at the samurai. It felt good to get one over on the arrogant samurai before me. My tail swished languidly behind me, much like a dog's tail does when they're happy.

It was strange having prehensile tail. It was like having a third arm at the end of my spine. Even now, I have to actively think about using instead of the instantaneous way I use my other limbs. Half of the time, it moved on its own.

Midnight Samurai growled, his previous calm and gentlemanly demeanor was gone. He was angry and upset and he clearly wanted to end me. With another unintelligible growl, he began to motion of sheathing his sword. He must have had enough to use his special move again!

Everything seemed to go at a snail's pace. There was no way to dodge that attack and I wouldn't survive another hit. My own special ability, Horn Rush, would probably be cut through just as quickly as my armor. There was nothing I could do to stop or dodge the attack.

Or was there?

My brain frantically ran through what I knew about the ability. It allowed him to move faster than I could react, his blade became strong enough to cut through my armor like paper, and…it moved in a straight line! That explained why he never corrected himself when I tried to dodge!

I could work with that.

"This is the end!" Midnight Samurai shouted for what felt like the hundredth time in the last ten minutes. He fully sheathed his sword and began to sink into his striking stance. That was when I struck.

With a quick flick of my hand, I had pulled up my own menu and selected my own special move. At once, the armor plating on my neck and helmet shifted into a sturdier configuration that kept me from turning my head but braced my neck for a sudden impact. While I couldn't tell exactly what my move looked like, Ashton had informed me that my horns began to shine brightly as energy coursed through them. That energy would then expand outward, lengthening my horns and growing equally log protrusions, turning my horns into something that resembled those of a large buck.

I placed a leg behind me and bent my front leg while lowering my torso, squaring myself up for a charge. At the same moment, Midnight Samurai was in his stance. It was now or never.

Just as Midnight Samurai began to move, I struck, but not at Midnight Samurai. I struck the ground.

My horns sunk into the virtual earth like a hot knife through butter, the ground cracking around where my horns had penetrated. Then, with a guttural battle cry, swung my head back up. As I did so, the ground in an almost five-yard cone cracked and was flung into the air. The once pristine pavement had a massive chunk carved out of it, leaving the ground uneven and ragged. That was what Midnight Samurai ran into.

My initial speculation proved correct as he made no move to avoid the hazard. This still airborne debris bombarded him, the majority of them being cut into dust, but a good number of them slammed into his body hard enough to cause him to wobble slightly. It was that lapse in balance, coupled with uneven ground, that was inevitably the samurai's downfall.

As the samurai raced forward, even at his insane speed, I saw his movements shift as he attempted to keep himself balanced. He hit one particularly large divot in the ground and actually tripped. Immediately, the glow that surrounded him faded and the samurai began to flail wildly, trying desperately trying to keep himself from falling. Unfortunately for him, the momentum of his initial lunge caused him to continue forward.

Straight into my horns. My glowing, antler-like horns

In a move that would make most linebackers jealous, I lunged forward, using both my feet and tail to catapult myself directly into Midnight Samurai's flight path. My horns sunk straight through Midnight Samurai as if his was made of wet paper. Each branch of my horns pierced the samurai Avatar's body and poked out the other side.

Midnight shouted in pain and shock as I barreled into him. I felt him struggle to try and pull himself from my horns, so…I decided to help him.

Tucking my head down towards my stomach, just close enough so that Midnight Samurai's feet skimmed across the ground, before swinging my head up while slamming my feet down to stop my momentum.

The results were immediate. Midnight Samurai slid off of my horns none to gently and was jettisoned into the air. The samurai type Duel Avatar continued to scream as he sailed through the air before smashing _through_ a bridge and into the river below. There was a loud splash and it was all over.

The rest of Midnight Samurai's health was depleted, leaving me victorious.

I just stood there, stunned and panting. It took me several seconds to register what had just happened. I had won.

"I won!" I cheered out loud. I pumped my fists in the air and I may or may not have done a little jig. What can I say? I was ecstatic!

"Wow, I didn't think the kid would pull it off," one of the spectators commented.

"I know, right?! This guy's definitely going on my watch list!"

I turned my gaze to the spectators, all of whom were conversing excitedly with one another. My eyes zeroed in on a lone figure standing behind the masses. Ashton stared at me, smiling proudly at me. It was a strange, the last person to ever give me such a look was my mother. It felt…nice.

He nodded his head to me, silently telling me that I had done a good job and I couldn't have been happier. That victory was my first step to becoming a great Burst Linker and, at that moment, I felt like I was on top of the world. Like nothing could stand in my way.

How wrong I was.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

An Ally?

The rest of the day went on without much fanfare. As did the next two days. I hadn't had anymore battles since his battle with Midnight Samurai, not that I was complaining. Even if it was a game, fighting a person with a weapon was something that I didn't want to go through anytime soon. I met with Ashton again during lunch, none of the upper classman stopped me from going to him though they still shot me strange looks. Ashton explained more about Brain Burst, specifically the leveling up system and how it cost Burst Points. It was a good thing he did too. I most likely would have leveled up and lost all my points and been easy pickings for any player.

Anyway, as the day came to an end, I couldn't help but feel guilty. I had been avoiding my friends for almost four whole days. At first, it was because I felt like a burden to them, and that was still the case to some extent, but then Ashton Calloway came in. He entered my life with his seemingly magical app and that has been the only thing on my mind since then.

I didn't really care about Barnaby (he was an asshole. Enough said.), but avoiding Cecil hurt. Every time I saw the purple haired girl looking out for me in the courtyard, I felt like a stab to the heart. I didn't mean to hurt her, I just…

I needed to make things up to her somehow. She wanted to have a picnic that weekend so maybe I would show up to that, or would that be inappropriate since I hadn't spoken to her in so long? I was so confused. I guess it was because I hadn't had friends before, I didn't know how to deal with those kinds of situations. Regardless, I needed to do something to make it up to her.

"Maybe I could get her one of those Fluffy Pals she's always talking about," I muttered aloud, as I followed the crowd of students leaving for the day. As I continued to think about what I could do to appease my friend, everything froze. Much like when I first encountered Midnight Samurai, I found myself forcibly accelerated.

-Rise of the Dragon-

Before I could even fully comprehend what was happening, I had shifted into my Duel Avatar and the scenery around me started to change. The buildings remained where they were but took on a more advanced look as the stone became stainless steel and smoothed out. Some of the buildings even had bulbous tops, reminding me of a picture of the Space Needle I saw in a magazine.

"Wow, it's like I stepped into some kind of Sci-Fi city," I said to myself, glancing around at the Dueling Field.

"A rather infantile evaluation, but I guess that should be expected from one such as yourself!" a condescending voice called out. I turned towards the voice only to fall on my rear in surprise when a figure suddenly slammed into the ground just feet in front of me.

Before me, kneeling on the now dented, metal ground. They looked like a knight in full plate armor, like one of the old timey ones from the stories of King Arthur. His armor was a pale turquoise color with a copper, vine-like design stretching across his chest plate and pauldrons. The sides of their chest plate and the underside of their arms were black.

Their head/helmet was conical in shape with a subtle cross-like shape over the front of the face. Two thin slits along the cross's 'arms' served as eyes for the knight. Their right arm, from elbow to their fingers, was a large, cone shaped lance the same color as the rest of their armor with a spiral of copper running up the length of the weapon. A small, circular shield rested on his left forearm.

The figure looked at me and scoffed in disdain. "We haven't even started the battle and you're already on the ground. Pathetic."

At that, I quickly scrambled to my feet, earning another scoff from the knightly figure. Judging by their voice, I could guess that they were male and, glancing at the name hovering above us, his name was Turquoise Sentinel. The Duel Avatar stood to his full height, allowing him to stand around my own height. He tilted his head upwards, an act that made it so that he was looking down at me.

"Hmph I expected my first encounter with Metal Duel Avatar to be one of grandeur, but I find myself…disappointed," Turquoise Sentinel commented haughtily.

I bristled at the insult. "What the hell is your problem?!" I demanded. "Do you always insult people you've just met?!"

"Only those I deem worthless," he replied casually.

In hindsight, I should have figured that he was baiting me, but after being called nothing almost all my life and finally gaining the means to be _something_ …I guess I was a little sensitive. Well, they say that hindsight is 20/20 and, had I actually thought things through, the following one-sided beat down might not have happened.

Anyway…white hot anger bubbled through my veins. A low, primal, growl reverberated through my throat. I was going to knock that smug look that he was most likely sporting right off of his face!

Turquoise Sentinel seemed amused by my anger and maintained his lax demeanor. "Oh? Planning on fighting me?"

"That's the point of this game, right?" I snarled.

"How naïve. You still think that this is all a game," he sighed disappointedly.

"Enough talk!" I snapped. Without giving the jerk a chance for a rebuttal, I lunged at him, my claws poised to attack. My claws were inches away from reaching him when he swung he left arm and batted me away with his shield, batting me away like a fly.

"I hope that's not the best you can do," Turquoise Sentinel said. "If so, this battle will be even more boring than I first anticipated."

Red filled my vision as I charged again and, once again, Turquoise Sentinel raised his shield, blocking my attack. Gritting my teeth, I pushed all of my weight downwards onto his shield, trying to get his legs to buckle, but the turquoise colored Duel Avatar did not budge. He then swung his arm upwards, shoving my arms up with his shield and causing me to stumble backwards. As tried to regain my balance, the lance wielder lunged forward and stabbed me with his lance.

I cried out in pain and jumped back, nearly falling onto my back as I did. Glancing down at myself, I saw a moderate sized hole directly in my stomach and never had I been more thankful for my avatar's robot form. Glancing at my health bar, I blanched when I saw that I had lost a quarter of my health from that one hit.

As I assessed myself, Turquoise Sentinel remained where he was, nonchalantly eyeing his lance as if he saw a speck of dirt on it. He didn't say anything, but it was clear what he thinking: _Is that really all you can do?_

With another growl, I charged forward, this time aiming for his right side, seeking to circumvent his shield. I figured that, judging by the size of his lance, my opponent wouldn't be able to defend himself as well as he could on his left. However, Turquoise Sentinel made it clear he could fully defend himself.

In a flash, Turquoise Sentinel had thrust his lance towards me face, forcing me to dodge. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to move fast enough and his lance managed to carved a shallow groove across my cheek. Gritting my teeth in pain, I tried to press forward, moving around his lance to go after his back, but he just spun around and knocked my arms away with his lance. I then tried to strike him with my tail, but he blocked that too! It was incredibly frustrating!

"You won't be able do damage to me with such weak attacks," Turquoise Sentinel said without a hint strain as he continued to block my attacks. "My Duel Avatar is classified as green, meaning my defensive capability is of the highest quality. This also means…" With a startling amount of force, Turquoise Sentinel sent me tumbling to the ground with another swing of his shield arm. "…that those weak attacks will do nothing against me!"

I slowly pulled myself up and glared at my opponent who had still yet to move from his spot. "You want an attack? I'll give you an attack!" I shouted, anger fueling my decision. I had taken enough hits to fill up my special move gauge and I was going to make the most of it!

The familiar shifting of the metal plating around my neck as the energy pooled into my horns. I felt my horns shift into their antlered state and sunk into a sprinter's stance. With shout, I rushed forward, my horns aimed to impale my opponent like they had done to Midnight Samurai.

Even with my head lowered, I could see Turquoise Sentinel tense at the attack and bring up his shield. My attack slammed against the shield with a cacophonous boom, a spray of sparks erupting from the point of contact. To my intense satisfaction, Turquoise Sentinel was pushed back, his feet actually generating sparks as they were dragged along the floor. However, he was only pushed back a couple of feet before he came to a halt.

"A good attempt," Turquoise Sentinel grunted, showing his first sign of exertions, "but it's not enough!"

To my surprise and horror, instead of faltering under my attack, Turquoise Sentinel _shattered_ my attack with a single swing of his shield arm. Too stunned to react, I was helpless as he brought his arm back to his body and struck me in my unarmored stomach with his shield. The air left my lungs as I crashed to the ground, clutching my stomach.

I coughed harshly, struggling to regain my breath. I looked up at our health bars and cursed when I saw that I had barely taken out a sliver of his health while I was down to my final third. "Dammit."

"It seems that this is the extent of your abilities," Turquoise Sentinel said, the same condescending tone in his voice.

"I'm…not done…yet!" I rasped, struggling to get to my feet. I refused to lose to an asshole like that!

"Yes. Yes, you are," Turquoise Sentinel said, glaring harshly at me. He lifted lance so that it was aimed directly at my chest. The copper lining that swirled around his lance began to shine brightly and appeared to be moving. It was only when I heard the steadily increasing, metallic screech that I realized that his lance was spinning like a drill.

My mind began to race as I tried to think of someway to counter what could only be Turquoise Sentinel's special move. Considering that his lance had become a, more or less, a drill, it was likely that he would charge me with it. A tactic like the one I had used against Midnight Samurai might be able to do the job. It all depended on how fast he moved and if he could turn—

All my ideas fled my mind as, instead of charging me like I expected, a burst of fire and smoke erupted from around his elbow and his weapon shot off of his arm like a rocket. Taken aback, I could only bring up my arms in a last-ditch effort to defend myself, but it was all for naught. In less than a second, the weapon had torn through my arms, sending them flying in separate directions, and drilled straight through torso before sticking into the wall behind me.

Too stunned to register the severely reduced pain, I looked down at myself and stared at the gaping hole in my chest. Shakily, I lifted my head and looked at Turquoise Sentinel in shock. "I…lost…"

-Rise of the Dragon-

I gasped violently and barely stopped myself from pitching forward. Around me, several people were giving me strange looks as, to them, I was walking one second and gasping as if I had run a marathon in the next. I paid them no mind as I stumbled my way over to the fountain, leaning heavily on the stone bowl.

I had lost. My third battle and I had lost, and so easily too. That Burst Linker…he had beaten me with such ease, even after everything I had done to better myself. I had never felt so humiliated and weak.

"Cadmus." I flinched as the familiar voice of Ashton Calloway. I heard his footsteps resonating along the concrete path, but I didn't look up. I couldn't bear to face him after losing so easily. He introduced me to Brain Burst so that I could help him and that required me being able to win. If he was watching the battle, which I was sure he had, he was probably regretting ever sending me the app.

"Cadmus," he said again and this time I couldn't stop myself from looking up. His face was the same blank mask that he always wore. I allowed my gaze to fall to the ground, bracing myself for the verbal disappointment that Ashton would soon express…

…but it never came.

"Are you alright?" I blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. What did he say?

"What did you say?" I asked.

"I asked if you were okay," Ashton repeated, a small smile forming on his face. "That last match was particularly brutal after all. I wanted to make sure that you were okay."

"You're…you're not upset that I lost?"

"Of course not! Your opponent was level four after all."

"Wait…what?!" I practically screamed, drawing more looked from the passing students. "He was level four?!"

"Yes," Ashton replied simply. "Didn't you notice that you didn't lose any Burst Points when you lost?"

"I…didn't notice," I admitted, slightly sheepish. I had been so focused on the fact that I had lost that nothing really mattered, but wait a second… "If he was a higher level then why did he fight me?!"

Anger pulsed through me at the thought. Higher level players got nothing out of fighting those weaker than themselves. You only got points by beating those at your own level! So why the hell would someone like that go after someone like me?

"Because I asked him to."

My world came to a screeching halt. I stared blankly up at Ashton, trying, and failing, to process what he had just said. _He_ had this guy fight me? What the actual hell?!

"I wanted to see what he thought of you," Ashton continued when he saw the lost expression on my face.

"What he thought of me?" I asked.

"Yes, and I have to say, I'm not impressed," another voice said. A very familiar voice.

Slowly, I turned around and was greeted with the unimpressed stare of Barnaby Williams. The blonde looked down at me over the rim of his glasses, his gray eyes as cold as steel. "In my opinion, it was a mistake to even consider giving him access to Brain Burst," he said coldly.

…what?

"Yes, that's what you said when I first told you that I had enlisted Cadmus' assistance," Ashton said with a slight frown.

What?

"And I stand by what I said," Barnaby said. "He has absolutely no talent."

WHAT?!

"Yet he managed to do actual damage to you," Ashton pointed out, sounding smug.

"Nothing but a fluke," Barnaby scoffed.

"What the hell is going on?!" I shouted, unable to stop myself.

Both Ashton and Barnaby stopped their conversation and turned towards me. "Ah yes, I haven't fully explained Barnaby's purpose, have I? I'll remedy that now, but not here. Let's go somewhere more discrete."

-Rise of the Dragon-

"This isn't very discrete," I deadpanned, glancing around at the noisy café they were currently sitting in. When Ashton had said that they were going to talk in some discrete area, I had expected a back alley or a secrete warehouse or something. I didn't expect to be taken to one of the most popular cafés near the school.

"On the contrary, this is perhaps the best place to meet," Ashton spoke over his coffee mug. "Had anyone seen us entering a secluded location, they would immediately see it as suspicious and would most likely attempt to see what we were doing. However, three students entering a popular café is completely normal and will arouse no suspicion. Not only that, but, with all the noise going around us, it would be difficult to hear what we are saying."

"I…guess that makes sense," I said, sipping my own drink. "So, what exactly is all this? How do you know Barnaby and how is he a Burst Linker? Did you give him the app too?"

"No, a person can only give the Brain Burst program out once," Ashton responded. "I encountered Barnaby, or rather Turquoise Sentinel, several months ago and a recruited him to my cause."

"You cause?" I asked. He mentioned there being a reason to why he gave me Brain Burst but I had never inquired as to his motives. Something Barnaby couldn't believe.

The blonde scoffed and gave me an incredulous look. "You accepted the app without understanding why you were being given to it? Are you really that foolhardy?"

"Now, now. There's no need for that. We're all friends here," Ashton lightly chided. Barnaby merely scoffed in response, turning up his nose in disgust. A look that I was all too familiar with.

"Anyway," Ashton continued, "the reason that I employed Barnaby, as well as the reason I recruited you, is to form a guild."

"A guild?" I was completely lost.

"Guilds are groups of Burst Linkers that have come together under a single Burst Linker," Ashton explained. "While being in a guild does not add a physical buff to Burst Linkers, it does offer a means of communication and coordination when battling."

"Coordinating in battling?" I asked. "How exactly does that work? Aren't all battles one on one?"

"Not necessarily," Ashton replied. "Battles can have as many Burst Linkers as you wish, as long as there is an equal number of opponents on the other side. There are other ways for battle coordination to come into play, but you don't need to worry about that for the time being."

"Okay…" I said, slightly uncertain over the fact that Ashton was withholding information, but I guess it was okay. For not at least. "So, you want to form a guild for the purpose of battling?"

"Being part of a guild is more than just battling," Ashton said. "It is a statement to all other guilds around. A single member's success speaks to their guilds strength and any success that the guild achieves is shared with its members."

"So being part of a strong and renowned guild gives you a certain amount of prestige as well as the backing of other members," I reasoned.

"That's correct," Ashton confirmed.

"You're forgetting the fact that guilds control territories within the real world," Barnaby butted in.

"I was getting to that," Ashton said, giving the blond a look.

"Wait, wait, wait. How exactly do guilds control _actual_ territories?!" I exclaimed before quickly covering my mouth. That was way too loud! Glancing around, I was relieved to see that no one was paying us any attention.

"I'll explain that," Barnaby said before Ashton could respond. He pushed his glasses further up his nose, the lenses flashing as they reflected a glimmer of light (Seriously! He looked like one of those glasses wearing anime characters!) and slipped into his 'teaching' tone. Which is a nice way of saying he sounded like he was speaking to a five-year-old. "It's quite simple really. When a guild is established, they are 'given' a section of the city they are based in. This section acts as the guild's 'home base' and, while within this base, a Burst Linker has the privilege of being able to connect to the Global Net without being challenged by other Burst Linkers in the area."

"So, a guild's area is like active camouflage," I said, unable to keep the awe from my voice.

"Don't be naïve," Barnaby chided coldly. "Your name will appear like any other name, you just can't be challenged by anyone outside your guild."

I frowned slightly at the last bit he said. "Why would you challenge members of your own guild?"

"For training mostly," Ashton answered. "When battling a member of your own guild, you don't win or lose Burst Points, so it is a safe way to test your abilities without risk of losing points."

"I see," I said. That made sense. It would be rather cruel for teammates to be able to hurt each other. "So, what's your guild called?"

"Knights of Dawn," Ashton responded.

…that was an awesome name.

"We're a small guild," Ashton admitted. "With only five members including myself and Barnaby, and our territory is currently the school and a few blocks around it."

"I believe you are neglecting to inform him of the _true_ reason behind your desire to form a guild," Barnaby said with a nasty smirk on his face.

Ashton shot the blonde another look, this one more frigid then the previous one. Barnaby, for his part, didn't so much as flinch at the look. In fact, his smirk deepened as if he were challenging Ashton to do something. I could practically see the electricity sparking between them as they glared at one another.

"Um…what does he mean by your true reason for making your guild?" I asked, breaking the tense silence that had encompassed out table.

The two of them broke their impromptu staring contest and returned their attention to me. Ashton sighed and placed his elbows on the table, interlacing his fingers and he observed me. "I won't lie, the initial creation of the guild has a more selfish origin than assisting others," he said quite reluctantly. "I originally created the Knights of Dawn guild for the purpose of reaching level ten."

"Reaching…level ten?" I asked.

"Hmm," Ashton hummed, nodding his head. "As you know, in order to receive Burst Points, you have to battle those of your level. When you receive enough points, you have the choice of ascending to the next level by spending the required amount, which is dangerous as it can leave you with little to no Burst Points after your ascension."

"Right," I nodded having remembered this discussion the previous day.

"Well, upon reaching level nine, things get a little more…complicated," Ashton said. "In order to ascend to level ten, you can't just earn Burst Points until you have enough to level up. No, in order to reach level ten, you must eliminate five other level nines."

A sudden chill ran up my spine at Ashton's words. He said 'eliminate', not defeat. That couldn't have been a coincidence. I swallowed thickly, my throat suddenly dry. "What…what do you mean by that?"

"Battles between level nines is different than those between lower levels," Ashton began to explain. "When two level nines fight, the loser doesn't just lose Burst Points, they lose the Brain Burst Program."

"What?!" I squeaked. I'll admit it, I did squeak. Can you really blame me? It's shocking information! "You just _lose_ the app?!"

"Correct," was Ashton's simple response.

"Why would you want that?!" I couldn't help but shout. "Why would you forcibly uninstall an app that has no doubt changed that person's life?!"

"You're not the only one that thinks that," Ashton said calmly. "In fact, several level nines created a treaty that strictly prohibits level nines from fighting."

"And what's wrong with that?" I asked heatedly. "Creating a system that helps keep people from losing Brain Burst seems sensible to me."

Barnaby gave a short huff while Ashton closed his eyes. After several seconds of silence, Ashton reopened his eyes and fixed me with a stare. "While it may seem sensible, there is a reason why I do not agree with this treaty."

"Yeah, and what reason is that?" I scoffed disbelievingly.

"To talk to the creator of Brain Burst."

That…actually caught me off guard. My scorn dissipated almost immediately, replaced by confusion and curiosity. What did he mean by speaking to the creator?

"It is said," Ashton continued, "that those who reach level ten gain the opportunity to speak with the program's creator. I wish to ask them the purpose behind the creation of this program and what they hoped to accomplish with it."

"…that's why you want to reach level ten? Why you created your guild? To gain the strength to go against the treaty?" I asked. I couldn't believe that he would go to such lengths just to ask someone a question.

"I'm not the only one either," Ashton goes on to say. "I know of at least two others that wish to reach level ten, though they are afraid of defying the treaty. There are also those that wish to reach level ten so that it becomes nearly impossible for them to lose Brain Burst."

"…I see." No, I really didn't.

"See, I told you it was a waste," Barnaby said. "It's clear that he doesn't agree with your course of action. You wasted your one opportunity to give out Brain Burst. You should have found someone that agreed with you before you gave them the app. That way you—"

"I'll do it."

Barnaby's voice died in his throat and, for probably the first time, his mask fell and he appeared genuinely shocked. "What?"

"I said I'll do it," I repeated, looking at my clenched fists. "I'll help you."

"Why?" Ashton asked, unable to hide his own shock. "You were for the treaty just a second ago. What changed?"

"To be honest, nothing," I admitted. "I still don't agree with it. Every time I think about being the cause of someone losing Brain Burst, and the memories of it, I feel sick to my stomach."

"Then why…?"

"Because of you," I said, interrupting Ashton. "Like I said before, you gave the chance to be something other than a waste of space. You gave me the chance to make something of myself and for that, I am forever in your debt."

I raised my head and looked Ashton right in the eye. "That's why, even if I don't fully understand or agree with your course of action, I will support you."

Ashton stared back at me, surprise clear in his eyes, but I stared right back unflinchingly. After a few seconds, he began to chuckle. "You really are something else, Cadmus," he said, smiling widely.

"Are you kidding me? He's incredibly stupid!" Barnaby exclaimed angrily. "He getting involved in all of this without fully comprehending what's at stake and for what? A sense of obligation?"

He leaned over the table and glared at me. "Do you understand what you're getting into? You're helping someone break the treaty. Other Burst Linkers will come after you, other level nines! You could lose Brain Burst!"

Was that…concern in his voice? Was he concerned with what I did? I shook my head, it didn't matter. "It doesn't matter," I said aloud. "No matter what you say, you won't change my mind!"

I turned my gaze back to Ashton, very much aware of the furious glare that Barnaby was directing at me. "I will join your guild and I will help you reach level ten. I swear!"

Ashton smiled, his eyes flickering in what I could only believe to be excitement. "That's all well and good, but you won't be joining my guild.

And just like that, my world came to a crashing halt. "What?"

"That is to say, you won't be joining yet," Ashton continued. "In order to formally join a guild, you have to reach level four."

"Oh," I said, sighing in relief.

"Which brings me to why Barnaby's here," Ashton said. "He will be training you to further your fighting ability and assisting you in gaining enough points to reach level four."

He stood up and brushed imaginary dirt from his pants. "I must go, so I will leave the rest to you, Barnaby." Said blonde merely grunted in response, refusing to look at either of us. Ashton took this to mean consent and turned back to me with a warm smile. "Thank you for your support, Cadmus. You have no idea how much it means to me."

"N-No problem," I stuttered, blushing in embarrassment.

Ashton chuckles again. "I will see you both on Monday. Good luck." With those final words, the sophomore turned and exited the café, leaving me and Barnaby alone.

Awkwardly, I shifted my legs and turned to the blonde. "So…"

"Don't talk to me," Barnaby snapped, causing me to recoil as if struck. He glared at me over his glasses, his steel grays eyes screaming disdain. "I don't know what you hope to accomplish by choosing this and frankly, I don't care. I refuse to waste my time with those who have zero potential so you better prove to me that you have what it takes to be an asset."

He stood and tapped at the air in front of him. A second later, a message appeared before me with an address. "Meet me at this address at seven o'clock tomorrow morning. Don't be late."

Before I could question him, he simply left, leaving me alone with my thoughts. What the hell had I gotten myself into?


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

A Trying Day

I glared up spitefully at the birds that were chirping much to merrily for my taste. Despite not having to meet with Barnaby until seven, to get to the actual location he specified, I had to get up at the crack of dawn, catch two trains, and walk for another fifteen minutes. I was exhausted to say the least, but I suppose I felt obligated to meet with Barnaby. Which is how I found myself standing outside of a rather large place called Marlow Fitness, a fitness center if the name was correct, but I was confused as to why Barnaby wanted to meet here of all places. I soon got my answer as a familiar cold drawl reached my ears.

"So, you actually showed up on time. I would say I'm impressed if you had actually done anything impressive."

My eye twitched slightly as I turned to face the blond only to openly gape. For as long as I had known Barnaby, I had only seen the blonde in the school's uniform, even when we were walking around the town but there he was wearing a casual polo shirt and jeans, a dark blue duffle bag slung over his shoulder.

"I'm surprised you know what this is," Barnaby said, raising an eyebrow.

…did I say that out loud?

"Yes."

I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the embarrassment I was feeling. "So…what exactly are we doing here?" I asked.

"I would have thought you'd have figured it out by now," Barnaby commented superiorly.

"Um…to…work out?" I tried.

"Close," he answered, turning to the building. "Follow me."

Not waiting for a response, Barnaby walked towards the fitness center entrance, leaving me reeling. A second later, my brain caught up with what was going on and I was forced to run after the glasses wearing teen, nearly getting smacked in the face with the door for my troubles.

As we entered the building, I was met with the sight of a surprisingly large work out room. There was a multitude of equipment ranging from pull-up bars to treadmills and numerous racks of weights. Off to the side was some kind of juice bar, most likely serving protein shakes or sports drinks. Despite it being early, the place was already full of people using the machines.

Barnaby paid the patrons no mind and walked through the room with practiced ease while I had to jog in order to keep up with his long strides. At first, I thought he was leading me to one of machines, but he completely circumvented the room and led me down a hallway towards another room.

This room was quite a bit smaller than the previous one with a large, bright red mat resting in the center. Along the walls were racks filled with wooden bo staffs, short sticks, and kendo swords. On the wall opposite to us appeared to be the doorway to a bathroom/changing room. On the far wall was a scroll-like poster depicting a roaring tiger with several symbols that looked Asian in nature. Possibly Japanese, but I wasn't sure.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"A martial arts dojo obviously," Barnaby scoffed, setting down his duffle bag and removing what looked like the karate gis that I had seen on TV. "My father has had me coming here since I was ten. Sensei John, the person in charge of this place, gave me permission to use this place even though it's not usually open on the weekends."

"So…what? Are you going to teach me karate or something?" I asked.

"It's Taekwondo," Barnaby replied instantly. "Karate is the art of open hand and, as you can see from the wall display, this is not that."

"So, are you going to teach me Taekwondo?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even.

"No." Was Barnaby's short reply. Had this been an anime, I would have face faulted, but this was the real world, so I instead gaped. "Or at least not as extensively as I have learned. It would take years to teach you the finer complexities of Taekwondo," he continued, pulling out a black, fabric, belt. "As time is limited, I will simply teach you the basics of hand-to-hand combat."

"…why?"

"For Brain Burst."

"For Brain Burst?" I questioned. "Why do I need to learn hand-to-hand combat for that?"

Barnaby gave me an 'are-you-stupid' look. "Because, unlike the games you're so fond of, Brain Burst requires _real world_ skill."

"Real world skill?"

"Are you just going to repeat everything that I say?" he snapped. He walked into the bathroom with his gi, but continued to talk. "Regardless, while your Duel Avatar is both stronger and faster than that of your real body, your movement, fighting style, and strategy is all you. As it is, the only thing you have going for you is your, admittedly, high reaction time."

"So, you're going to teach me so that I can fight more effectively during a duel," I reasoned.

"Precisely," Barnaby responded.

"But wouldn't it make more sense to teach me karate rather than Taekwondo?" I asked curiously. "You said it yourself, karate is the art of open hand and my Duel Avatar doesn't have any weapons. Learning to use weapons won't be really helpful."

"Idiot. Taekwondo is more than just using weapons," Barnaby snarled. "Like karate, Taekwondo teaches you to enhance both your physical and mental prowess by training your mind and body. It is not just waving around a stick nor is it flailing around wildly. It is both discipline of the body and control of one's self."

Barnaby stepped back out into the room, garbed in his gi. In his arms was another gi. "With these teachings, it is Ashton's hope that you will actually be useful to the Knight of Dawn. I, however, hold no such beliefs. Now, put these on!"

I gave a strangled yelp as Barnaby tossed the bundle of clothes at me. I fumbled with them, but managed to get a hold of the surprisingly heavy material. Looking it over, I found the tag and blanched at what it read. "These are for women!"

"Oh, so it is," Barnaby said in a blasé manner, walking over to the rack. Despite not being able to see his face, I knew the jerk was smirking. "Also, turn off your Neuro Linker. I don't want any interruptions."

Grumbling to myself, I stalked to the changing room and quickly changed into the gi for the opposite gender, my face burning the entire time. Thankfully, the gi was more or less the same as Barnaby's with a few *ahem* adjustments here and there. After tying off the white belt in a manner that I was sure was incorrect, I stepped back outside and saw Barnaby going through a series of slow punches and kicks.

"Took you long enough," the blonde said. He glanced at my attire and blatantly smirked, causing anger to bubble up in my gut.

"Well?" I ground out. "Are we going to do this or not?"

"Patience is a virtue," he commented dismissively. "Before we start out, I wish to see where you stand.

I tilted my head, confused of what he meant. "What do you mean…?"

The smile that made its way onto Barnaby's face when I had asked my question still haunt me to this day.

"First, we're going to test your stamina," he said. "Run around the border of this mat until I say stop or you can't run anymore."

"Huh? Why—?"

"Go!" Barnaby snapped, cutting my question off before I could fully ask it. With a grumble, I did as he said and began to run.

-Rise of the Dragon-

I never prided myself in my physical capabilities. I was by no means unhealthy and incapable of even the most basic of physical activity (I was about average in gym class after all), but what Barnaby asked me to do was literal hell.

After running nonstop for five minutes, I then had to do push-ups, sit-ups, squats, lunges, and some exercise that was certainly made by the Devil called burpees, each done for two minutes straight. By the end of it all, I could barely stand.

"Hm…Not as bad as I first thought," Barnaby commented thoughtfully.

"Glad…I could…meet your…standards," I panted, struggling just to glare at the pompous jerk.

"Sarcasm is unbecoming," he said almost thoughtlessly. "I now know what I'm working with so let's start with the basics."

"Are you kidding?! We're not done?!"

Barnaby smirked again (Dear God did I hate that smirk!). "Not even close."

What followed wasn't as physically taxing as the earlier exercise, but they were just as demanding. He started me off by showing me the basic punches and elbow strikes, saying that he wanted to focus on my upper body first. He emphasized the need to keep my thumbs untucked when I punch and to turn my body when I attack to put my full weight behind my strikes. When he felt I had a suitable grasp over the two strikes, we moved to front kicks.

"Keep your standing leg slightly bent!" Barnaby snapped as I, yet again, nearly fell over.

"Sorry," I said, barely withholding a snarl when he slapped my leg with one of the kendo sticks.

"Don't speak, just do it!" he snapped, cracking the false sword against the mat.

With a groan, I did as instructed, this time making sure to keep my none kicking leg bent. I had thought I had done it right, I received another slap. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"I told you to keep your toes up and flexed," Barnaby responded. "Keeping your toes curled will lead to broken toes!"

"Then tell me! Don't hit me!"

"I find physical deterrents work more than just simple words," he said with that infuriating smirk of his.

I grit my teeth furiously, surprised that they didn't crack under the strain I was putting on them. I glared at the arrogant prick, wishing with all my might that the ground would open up and swallow him so I wasn't stuck staring at his smug face. Barnaby seemed to sense my anger and lifted an eyebrow.

"Is there something you want to say?" he asked-no, demanded. His tone was challenging, as if daring me to say something. So, say something I did.

"Yeah, I've got something to say," I growled. "You're enjoying this too much."

"Enjoying this? Please," Barnaby scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I am most certainly not enjoying teaching you."

"You yelling at me and hitting me with a stick isn't teaching!" I snapped. "This is…this is just an excuse for you to show me what you really think of me!"

"I do believe I have never hidden my feelings towards you," Barnaby said, eyes narrowing. "You're a waste of space with absolutely no talent. The mere fact that Ashton chose _you_ of all people to gift Brain Burst is simply beyond all logical reasoning. If I had my way, I'd force you to uninstall the app and search for someone with more potential than a flea."

I flinched, every word feeling like a knife being driven through my heart. What he was saying were the exact thoughts that constantly swarming through my mind since I met Ashton. The fear that I would prove to be a mistake to Ashton. That I really was a nobody, but still…

My hands curled into fists, my nails biting into my flesh. Listening to Barnaby continue to drone on about my 'shortcomings' _burned_ me. Anger bubbled through my veins and I struggled to keep myself from exploding, but Barnaby wasn't making it easy.

"…and here I am wasting my time trying to teach a mole to see," Barnaby continued to grouse. "A complete waste of my time and skill. I would be much better on the front lines…"

I was too angry to even comprehend the last part of what he said. "Then why don't you piss off?"

Dead quiet.

"What was that?" Barnaby asked. His voice was calm and collected, but I could hear the unmistakable edge of anger.

"You heard me." I couldn't think clearly. The blood roaring in my ears was deafening. "Why don't you just piss off? You clearly don't want to be here and I most definitely don't want you here."

"You ungrateful little…" Barnaby's pale face turned a bright red as he, for probably the first time in my life, showed visible emotion. "I took time out of my bust schedule to teach you and _this_ is the thanks I get?"

"You want me to _thank_ you? For what?" I demanded. "Shouting at me? Hitting me? I'll thank you when you actually _do_ something that deserves thanks because, as it is, you're nothing more than a bully!"

I winced at how childish my last shout was, but it got the job done. Barnaby looked absolutely furious. The vein on his temple throbbed violently as he gritted his teeth in suppressed rage. His hands were curled into tight fists and his eyes burned with the promise of pain. He probably would have devolved to blows had it not been for the timely intervention of a soft voice.

"Barnaby? Cadmus?" Both Barnaby and I froze, caught off guard by the sudden voice. We turned and saw Cecil standing there in a lavender skirt and green wife-beater, a look of confusion and uncertainty on her face.

"Cecil? What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I…We made plans to hang out today, but no one showed up at the meeting point," she said. "I knew Barnaby came here sometimes, so I came to see him. I didn't know you came here too, Caddy."

Crap! I forgot! I had been so focused on Brain Burst and then Ashton wanted Barnaby to teach me…I had forgotten that Cecil wanted to hang out.

I opened my mouth to respond, but Barnaby beat me to it. "I agreed to no such thing. I am far too busy to be bothered with such things, I would have figured you understood that considering I didn't return your call."

Return her call…! Was that why he had me turn off my Neuro Linker? To keep me from contacting Cecil?! His assholeness knew no bonds!

Cecil grew crestfallen at Barnaby's comment. "Oh, I see. Well…I'll just…leave you two to…whatever it is you're doing."

"You do that," Barnaby said coldly, turning away from Cecil.

If possible, Cecil looked even more heartbroken at Barnaby's dismissal. She sent me a sad, guilty look, before turning to begin walking away.

"Cecil, wait!" I cried, startling both her and Barnaby. "I'll hang out with you!"

"You…will?" she asked, unable to keep the surprise from her voice.

"Yeah, just give me a second to get changed," I said. I moved to go change when Barnaby suddenly grabbed my arm.

"We're not done here," he growled angrily.

"Yes, we are," I sneered just as venomously. I snatched my arm from his bruising grip and quickly entered the bathroom to change. Once I had, I quickly left with Cecil, ignoring the icy glare Barnaby was sending my way.

-Rise of the Dragon-

Cecil and I took a train to Ursine Park, a popular area for families and friends to come out and have a good time. It got its name for the marble, bear fountain in the middle of the park, commemorating the animal that used to frequent the city until modern civilization came in. Cecil had actually prepared a multiple sandwiches and pastries, far too many for just two people, meaning that she had planned for Barnaby to join us.

We sat together on a bench in awkward silence, watching people walk by. I wanted to say something, _anything_ , just to break the tension, but I couldn't think of anything. I had basically ignored her for the entire week. What could I say?

I sighed in resignation. I should apologize, after all, my mother said that apologizing was the first step in mending friendships. I opened my mouth to do just that, but Cecil beat me to it.

"Sorry."

I blinked owlishly. "Huh?"

"I'm sorry," Cecil repeated, looking down at her hands.

"Wh-Why are you apologizing?!" I asked, perplexed.

She looked up at me, a confused frown marring her face. "I mean, you've been avoiding me because of what happened with Eric. I stepped in and he got more violent with you."

"Why do you think that?"

"I heard about what happened in the lunchroom."

I cringed. I should have figured that she would have heard about that. She was always on top of the school's gossip reel. That of course made me feel worse as she was no doubt worried about me, especially with my continued silence.

"Cecil…you don't have anything to apologize for," I said. "If anything, I should be the one apologizing."

"Huh? But if I hadn't got involved, he wouldn't have pulled a knife on you!" she exclaimed.

"No, he did that because I fought back," I explained.

"You did what?!" she screeched, causing me to flinch at the sudden intensity.

"I mean, I didn't _fight_ him! I just, didn't let him hit me!" I denied. Cecil still looked skeptically and I couldn't help but add sheepishly, "I also may have made him trip into a bunch of food…"

"Jesus, Caddy," Cecil muttered under her breath. She shook her head, a small smile gracing her features. "I guess I can't really blame you for standing up for yourself."

"Yeah…"

"…"

"…"

"So…have you and Barney been hanging out more?"

"Not really…It's a recent thing. We just met up today," I said, my mind furiously thinking up an explanation without giving away my connection to Ashton. "I…after what happened, I wanted to be able to defend myself better, so I asked Barnaby."

I had to withhold a wince at how lame that sounded. I silently held my breath, begging Cecil to believe my lie. "Okay," she said after several tense seconds. I quietly exhaled in relief. "So, you've been hanging around Ashton Calloway a lot…"

I literally choked on the sandwich I was eating.

I coughed violently, struggling to breath. Alarmed, Cecil slapped my back with a surprising amount of force, causing me to cough up the piece of food that was restricting my airway. "Wh-What?" I rasped out, still struggling to catch my breath. "What did you say?"

"I said you've been hanging out with Ashton Calloway," she said, still alarmed by my choking fit. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I-I'm fine," I coughed. "Where'd you…Where'd you hear something like that?!"

"Um, Shantel said she saw you eating with him these past few days," Cecil answered.

"Y-Yeah…I've had lunch with him a few times," I said. "He…offered to tutor me in a couple subjects."

"Really?!" Cecil exclaimed. "What did you do to get one of the smartest and most popular boys in school to tutor you?!"

I gulped nervously, hoping that I was noticeably sweating under the purple-haired girl's gaze. My mind was working double time as it tried to formulate a believable lie. "I-I'm not really sure…I guess he just pitied me," I said, forcing myself to sound dejected (which wasn't very hard). "It's not totally unheard of…"

Cecil kept silent at that remark. I didn't look up, but I could feel her gaze on me. After a few seconds, Cecil finally spoke. "You know…I didn't want to be your friend because I pitied you."

My head snapped up from its bowed position, my eyes wide. "Wha?"

"The other day, when you ran off, Barnaby mentioned that we were only friends with you because we saw you being bullied and felt bad for you. It wasn't true."

She met my gaze with one of resolute determination. Her green eyes held no lies, only the love and concern she had for me. Her friend.

I chewed my lip, guilt washing over me like a stormy deluge. "I…I know. It's just." I had no idea what to say. I had reacted poorly, simple as that, and my friend had suffered for it. "I didn't mean to hurt you…"

"You didn't" Cecil denied. "Well, no. That's a lie. It did hurt, but I understood why you were upset. I guess it would seem a little farfetched that someone like me would be friends with someone like you," she chuckled awkwardly.

"Yeah," I said with a small smile.

"I admit, I did feel bad for you when we first met," she admitted. "After all, you were the orphan kid with no friends, what's not to feel sorry for? Maybe I was doing it for pity at first, but as I got to know you, I saw a kind, funny, sometimes sarcastic person that I couldn't see myself living without."

She reached out and took my hand into hers. "Both you and Barnaby are my dearest friends and I…" she cut herself off to dab at her wet eyes with her other hand. "I don't want to lose either of you."

"You won't!" I said immediately, wanting to comfort my friend. "You're my best friend, Cecil Abernathy, and I won't leave you!"

She smiled at that, giving a small watery chuckle. "That…that was incredibly corny."

I groaned dramatically. "Aw, come on! I was trying to sound cool!"

Cecil gave an unwomanly snort at that. And, just like that, the stifling tension that had surrounded us was gone. For the next couple of hours, we chatted about senseless things. It was nice. For the first time all week, I had nothing weighing down on my mind. No bullies, no Barnaby, no Brain Burst. All I had to think about was spending time with Cecil.

"…and then, Kate said, 'that's not my burger'!" Cecil joked, causing me to laugh uproariously.

"No way. That really happened?" I asked through my laughter.

"Cross my heart," Cecil said, grinning widely.

"Dang, now I wish I had your lunch period," I said with another laugh.

"Yeah, it would certainly be a lot more fun with you there," Cecil agreed. Her smile then dimmed a little and she sighed tiredly. "I wish Barnaby could have come too."

I frowned. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out someone as kind as Cecil could be friends with an asshole like Barnaby. They were like water and oil. They didn't mix! I get that their families pushed them together somewhat, but how can she still support him.

I had to know.

"Hey Cecil?"

"Hmm?"

"Why…Why are you friends with Barnaby?" I internally winced. Real smooth, Cadmus.

To my surprise, Cecil actually chuckled at the question. "I guess we don't exactly seem like we would get along huh?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, at first, I couldn't stand him," Cecil confessed. "Our fathers always brought us with them whenever they had a meeting. I'm not sure if you knew this, but their companies have been talking about a merger for years now and they thought, or rather think that by putting me and Barney together will create some 'power-couple' that will rock the business world."

"I…kind of figured," I said, though that didn't make it any less weird to hear how ambitious their parent's thoughts for the future were.

"Anyway, like I said, I couldn't stand Barnaby," Cecil said. "He was stuck up, arrogant…"

"Was?" I quipped.

"…and a right asshole most of the time," Cecil continued, ignoring my comment. "If I'm being really honest, I hated his guts."

"What changed?" I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.

"I was getting to that," Cecil said with a light glare. She shook her head and sighed softly, suddenly pensive. "As time went on, and Barney and me saw more and more of each other, I began to see another side of him. He was still cold and aloof, but I began to understand why that was."

She paused, taking a deep breath to gather her thoughts. "Barney's family has always been tough on him, even more than my father has been on me. He was always been pushed to be the best at everything in order to fulfill his families ridiculously high expectations. Because of that, he never got the chance to make any lasting bonds with anyone. He only had time to study and, because of that, he was always alone."

"I…didn't know that," I murmured. No wonder why Barnaby was always so cold, he never had any reason show any emotion.

Cecil nodded. "He never had the chance to just be a kid and, when I realized that, I kind of empathized with him. Sure, my dad's nowhere near as strict or demanding, but he does have standards. I understood a lot of what he was, and still is, going through." She then smiled minutely. "It was then that I resolved to befriend him, so that he wasn't alone anymore."

It was at that moment that I realized just how kind of a person Cecil really was. She willingly put up with someone like Barnaby just to make sure that they weren't alone. She endured snarky comments, the occasional insult, and constant aloofness for the sake of another. She really was one in a million.

"It's not all bad though," Cecil suddenly added. "While he's outwardly cold, I can see gratefulness in his eyes whenever I'm with him, even when he says otherwise. He even supported me when I dyed my hair. He does care in his own way, he just has trouble showing it."

"Must be nice," I commented wistfully. "He clearly hates me."

"Caddy. That's not true. He does like you," Cecil said.

"Could have fooled me by the way he was acting this morning," I groused. "He was practically abusing me."

"Like I said, he cares in his own way," Cecil argued to which I scoffed disbelievingly.

"Yeah right."

"I know it's hard to believe, but you haven't seen him when we hear about you being bullied. The look of anger and protectiveness in his eyes is enough proof to know he cares," Cecil said. "The reason he acted the way he did is because he knows no other way. That's the way he was taught. When you stormed out on him, he probably felt frustrated that he couldn't teach you properly. He's probably beating himself up now."

I gave a huffing snort. It seemed farfetched with how Barnaby was acting, but, at the same time, I felt a warm feeling in my chest. It would be nice to have someone else care about my wellbeing for a change. That warm feeling was then crushed by the cold grip of guilt as I remember how I stormed out.

"I guess I should apologize to him," I grumbled.

"That would at least let him know that you care," Cecil said happily. "Though don't expect him to be outwardly happy."

"Right," I laughed.

Cecil chuckled as well and we fell into a comfortable silence. A few minutes later, Cecil glanced at the darkening sky. "Crap! I didn't realize how late it had gotten," she exclaimed, jumping to her feet and gathering up her stuff. "I should head back."

"Yeah, I should too. I need to get started on some of my homework," I said, rising to my feet.

Cecil smiled and gave me a short hug. "Thank you for spending time with me, Caddy. I had fun today."

"Me too."

"Don't forget to apologize to Barney!" Cecil shouted as she rushed off.

I smiled and waved at her retreating form. I was glad that I was able to make up with Cecil, but I wasn't looking forward to apologizing to Barnaby. With a sigh, I began my walk to the train station.

-Rise of the Dragon-

I stifled a yawn as I finally reached my apartment's floor. My day had been surprisingly stressful and, as much as I wanted to get my homework done (note the sarcasm), all I wanted was to collapse onto my soft bed and sleep. With that thought in mind, I unlocked my door with the intent of sleeping until Monday when a hand landed on my shoulder.

"Cadmus."

I didn't scream. I swear, I didn't scream like a little girl. I was just startled is all. I whirled around to the one that had grabbed me and was met with "Ashton?!"

The sophomore gave me a wane smile, amusement glittered within his viridian eyes. "Sorry, did I startle you?" I narrowed his eyes. His innocent act wasn't fooling me! He seemed to notice this and chuckled. "Sorry, just having a little fun."

"Right…" I said.

"…"

"…"

"…So, are you going to invite me inside?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh! Er…I guess," I said, awkwardly opening the door for him to enter.

"Thank you," he said primly, stepping past me and into my apartment.

"Um…do you want something to drink?" I asked as I followed Ashton inside. "I've got some juice and soda…"

"Just some water if you could," Ashton said, settling himself down in front at my dining room table.

I quickly shuffled to my kitchen area and grabbed a glass. It was only with half a mind that I filled up the glass, my mind reeling. Why was Ashton there? Was it because I stormed out on Barnaby? Was Ashton going to scold me for not taking Brain Burst seriously? All these thoughts warred within my head as I shakily handed Ashton the glass.

"Thank you," Ashton said, taking a sip. "Please, sit."

Feeling slightly put off over being offered a seat in my own house, I sat down. "Um…what exactly…is this?"

"I heard from Barnaby that you skipped out on training," Ashton said. I guess there was no reason to beat around the bush.

"It wasn't my fault! Well, it was partially my fault, but Barnaby was…" I trailed off, think back to what Cecil had said. "I…let my emotions get the better of me," I admitted. "I was…I wasn't in my right state of mind when I stormed out. I'll apologize to him tomorrow."

Ashton took another sip of water before responding. "I agree. You did act rashly, but the blame isn't entirely yours. Barnaby did confess that he was a little _overzealous_ in his instruction."

I blinked. "He…did?"

Ashton looked at me over his glass, lifting an eyebrow. "Is that so unbelievable?"

"A little." I said.

The sophomore gave an undignified snort. "I suppose Barnaby can be rather stubborn, even when it comes to admitting mistakes, but he is more than he appears." Once again, I found myself thinking back on what Cecil had said and nodded. "Anyway," Ashton continued, "after talking to him, Barnaby has decided on a different method of teaching you. He told me to have you meet him at the clock tower at South Street."

"Oh…okay," I said, bewildered that Barnaby was still willing to teach me.

"Well, that's all I came here to say," Ashton said, rising from his seat.

"Couldn't you have just sent me a message?" I asked curiously.

"I tried, but you weren't answering your Neuro Linker," Ashton said.

Oh crap, I forgot to turn my Neuro Linker back on! "Hehe, sorry about that," I said nervously.

"It's no trouble. I was in the area," Ashton said, waving off my concern. "I will see you at school tomorrow. Good night."

With that, Ashton made to leave, only to stop in front of the door. "Indecently, I find it surprising that your guardian wasn't here when we arrived. It is rather late. If I may, who are they?"

"Oh, my sister gained guardianship after…the incident. She's still in college so she's not always here," I answered, confused as to why Ashton was asking such a thing.

"I see," Ashton hummed. Seemingly satisfied, he bid me another farewell and left my apartment.

"…that was weird," I said aloud.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

A Harsh Lesson

Early Sunday morning, I left my apartment and, ironically, headed to the park where he had met Cecil the previous day. I was nervous, more so than I was yesterday. Between exploding at Barnaby and what Cecil had said, I really didn't know how to deal with Barnaby. On one hand, he was an utter bastard, but, on the other hand, he had a reason for being like that. The entire situation was…complex to say the least.

I released a long, drawn out sigh. I was beginning to regret accepting the Brain Burst program. I've had the app for less than a week and my life had already done a one-eighty. While crappy, my life was a hell of a lot less complicated before I met Ashton Calloway.

My thoughts came to a halt as I finally reached the park. I could see Barnaby sitting along the rim of the bear fountain, a small book in his hands. As I drew closer, my nervousness increased tenfold. Should I apologize? It had worked with Cecil, but Barnaby was a different matter entirely. Chances were that Barnaby would throw my apology back in my face.

"So, you bothered to show up."

I froze. I hadn't realized it, but I was standing in front of Barnaby. I was so focused on what I was going to say that I hadn't realized I had walked right up to him. "Er…yeah."

"Hmph." Barnaby shut his book and rose to his feet. "Seeing as yesterday's training didn't end with the desired results, I will attempt a new way of teaching you."

The sharp pain of guilt stabbed at my heart. "Look, Barnaby…"

"I have taken the liberty of setting up a duel for us. Hopefully you will respond better to a 'trial by fire' as it were," Barnaby said, giving no indication that he had heard me. "You will be teaming up with myself against two other burst linkers in a double duel."

"A double duel?" I asked. "Those exist?"

"Clearly," Barnaby muttered and immediately I knew something was wrong.

Normally when Barnaby answered a question which, admittedly, was rather stupid, there was a tone of annoyance or condescension in his voice. This time, however, his voice was oddly devoid of emotion. It was odd.

Oblivious to my thoughts, Barnaby appeared to be fiddling with a screen he had pulled up with his Neuro Linker. "They should be here…Ah, here they are. I'll set up the match now."

"Wait, who are we—" The words never got the chance to leave my mouth as I suddenly found myself accelerating.

-Rise of the Dragon-

When I opened my eyes next, the park had turned into an incredibly dense forest. Large trees, I'm not sure what kind, surrounded me from all sides almost like a cage. The soft dirt was cool against my foot (something that I found strange as I was essentially a robotic dragon). Leaves fluttered down from above almost like rain, creating a beautiful scene that was ruined by the floating rusted metal health bars and timers.

My name as well as Turquoise Sentinel rested on one side of the timer while two unfamiliar names were on the other. "Honey Spider and Burgundy Arrow," I read aloud. I glanced around, suddenly conscious of the fact that I could be attacked at any moment. Speaking of which…

"Where's Barnaby?" I asked, searching for the lance wielding Duel Avatar. He was right next to me when we accelerated so he should be nearby…

I suddenly froze as a sharp, electric whistling sound reached my ear. It sounded a lot like my air conditioner when it broke down a couple years ago. Before I could contemplate the sound any longer, pain exploded against my arm.

"GAH!" I cried out in pain, clutching my arm. Glancing down, I saw a glowing red arrow protruding from my arm. "What the hell…?"

Where the hell had that come from?! I looked up at my health, noting that a small portion of my health had gone. Another sharp whistle cut through the air and I immediately dove to the ground. Just in time too, as another red arrow slammed sunk into a tree nearby.

"Aww. You missed him!" a shrill voice laughed.

"I guess the kid's better than we thought!" another voice chuckled cruelly.

Raising my head, I watched as two figures stepped out of the brush. The first figure appeared to be male, judging by the physique of their Duel Avatar, was about six foot tall. His biceps, thighs, neck, and stomach looked to be made out of a black mesh-like material with the rest of him being covered in red armor. His face was completely smooth, devoid of any features save for two yellow eyes. A large 'hat', that was in a similar style to a derby hat with a larger brim. Resting on his left forearm was what appeared to be the unholy amalgamation of a heavy crossbow and a futuristic blaster.

The second one had a much more feminine appearance and considerably shorter than her apparent ally. Her body was primarily a dull yellow with hot pink swirl-like markings decorating her torso armor. Her lower armor looked like any other save for the fact that the rear piece looked like a spider's abdomen. If that wasn't strange enough, her entire head looked like an entire spider, complete with eight teal eyes, eight, short, pink legs on the side, and pincers. She didn't appear to be carrying any weapons, but her fingers looked just as sharp as my own.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A little fly trapped in our web ripe for the picking," the female, obviously Honey Spider, laughed.

"It would appear so, my dear," Honey Spider's compatriot (Burgundy Arrow), said with equal cruelty in his voice.

With a growl, I got to my feet, ignoring the throbbing pain in my arm, and faced my opponents. I tried to put on a brave front, but I was nervous. I was alone against two other burst linkers. If Barnaby didn't show up, things were going to get bad fast!

"Oh, would you look at that. He's trying to act tough! That's adorable!" Honey Spider said in a poor imitation of a baby's voice.

"Ironic considering his knees are shaking," Burgundy Arrow said, gesturing with his crossbow.

I gritted my teeth but refused to respond. I chanced a glance at my surroundings, hoping to see some glimpse of turquoise armor, but there were only trees. Barnaby was nowhere in sight.

"Where are you looking, boy?!" My eyes practically shot forward as Honey Spider was suddenly in front of me, her claws bared.

With a strangled yelp, I jumped back, causing her claws to just scratch against my armor. It wasn't enough to do damage, but the sharp sound was grating to my ears. Undeterred by the lack of damage, Honey Spider continued her assault, laughed crazily as she swiped at me like some kind of deranged cat. I dodged her attacks the best I could, but she was too fast. Had I had skin, I would have resembled a poorly stitched scarecrow, but thankfully my armored body was resistant to her attacks.

"Is that all you can do?" Honey Spider asked. "Honestly. If dodging's all you can do then I'd expect you to be good at it!"

I growled angrily and lunged at my arachnid styled opponent, swiping my claws at her. To my surprise, Honey Spider leaned back at an almost unnatural angle, causing my attack to pass harmlessly over her. She then continued to fall back to her hands and kicked off the ground, striking me under my chin as she somersaulted.

"I would say 'nice try', but that was pathetic," she commented, sounding almost bored.

I growled again, massaging my chin. I made to swipe at her again but was when a burning pain erupted from my calf. With a pained cry, I fell to one knee. Turning to survey my leg, I saw another glowing red bolt protruding from my calf.

"You seem to forget that you're fighting _two_ opponents!" Burgundy Arrow said, lowering his weapon.

"Dammit," I muttered under my breath. My gaze flitted around the forest for any sign of my partner, but all I could see were the various spectators, who I could see were talking amongst themselves. Where the hell was Barnaby?! I couldn't fight the two of them by myself!

"So…are you just going to sit there until the clock runs out?" Burgundy Arrow asked.

"Maybe he's looking for his little friend," Honey Spider cooed, a vicious smirk in her voice.

"That's fine," Burgundy Arrow said with a nonchalant shrug. "That just makes out win the easier. Especially if he leaves my bolts in."

I frowned at Burgundy Arrow's last comment. I looked down at the crossbow bolts in my arm and leg, confused by what he meant. Looking closer at the bolts, I noticed a slight discoloration around the area they were penetrating that was slowly growing. My previously smooth, platinum armor was slowly becoming brown and almost dry looking. It was like…

Rust!

My eyes shot towards my health bar, finding that my health was slowly decreasing despite not even moving. I immediately tore the bolts from my person and tossed them away. My health instantly stopped declining, but the points where the bolts had pierced were still discolored (rusted).

"About time you noticed," Burgundy Arrow said snidely. "First rule of being a burst linker: keep a constant eye on your health!"

Gritting my teeth in aggravation, I bit back a retort. I pushed myself back to my feet and glared at my two opponents, my fists clenched. The two stood in front of me, completely lax. Like they had nothing to worry about. Like I wasn't a threat.

"Oh? Are you planning on attacking us again?" Honey Spider asked, speaking to me like she was talking to a baby. "Even after you failed miserably.

"Not the brightest bulb in the bunch, but that's to be expected from what that sentinel guy told us," Burgundy Arrow said and everything seemed to freeze.

'Sentinel guy'? He couldn't mean… "The guy you're talking about, who was it?!" I demanded.

"And why should we tell you?" Burgundy Arrow questioned with a disinterested scoff as he looked over his weapon.

"Now, now, Arrow. There's no need to be rude," Honey Spider mock scolded. "He asked a legitimate question that deserves an answer." She turned to me and I could practically feel the malicious smirk she was sending me from behind her helm. "You want to know who told us about you?"

A feral-like growl escaped me at her teasing tone. This, instead of intimidating her, only encouraged the spider-like avatar. "Come now, Drakey~" she cooed teasingly. "Use your words."

I was about to use my claws if she didn't drop the God damn baby talk! When I still didn't respond, she sighed in disappointment. "Oh, fine. I guess I'll tell you," he relented. "Your 'buddy' asked us to team up against you so that you'd lose."

"What? Why?!" I demanded. None of this made sense. Why would Barnaby do something like this?!

"Something about convincing you to give up or something like that?" Honey Spider shrugged. "Doesn't really matter to us. It's free burst points."

"But why would he purposely sabotage us?" I asked, unable to hold back my question. "He'd be losing burst points too!"

"Not so, genius," Burgundy Arrow spoke up, tapping his crossbow against a tree. "In a duel, you only gain points when you fight against someone of the same level. And guess what? You, Honey Spider, and I are the only level ones in this fight!"

"And ya' wanna' know what else?" Honey Spider asked eagerly. "Since the winners of a duel always get ten burst points from the loser, and you're the only level one on your team, you'll end up losing _twenty_ points!"

I felt my blood freeze as both of my adversaries began to laugh cruelly at my expense. Barnaby had planned this? He had planned for me to get beaten by these two and lose a substantial amount of points? Why? Was it payback for yesterday? Was he upset with Ashton's decision? A multitude of thoughts ran rampant in my head, and all of them led to one thing.

Barnaby had betrayed me.

"Well I think we've drawn this out long enough," Burgundy Arrow said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"I suppose," Honey Spider sighed. "Though I do say I was having fun messing with him."

I went on guard and not an instant too soon as Honey Spider was upon me. Like before she bombarded me with a flurry of claw attacks that, while numerous, did little damage. I tried to strike at her, but she just dodged out of the way. A second later, a crossbow bolt came hurtling towards me.

Not even thinking, I dove to the ground, causing the bolt to just graze my shoulder. Before I could get up, Honey Spider had jumped onto me, jamming both her armored feet into the small of my back. I gave a sharp cry of pain as she then sunk her claws into my shoulder blades, keeping me pinned against the ground.

"You really are bad at this~" Honey Spider whispered into my ear. "One would think that after a frontal assault had failed you would adapt."

With a growl I forced myself up, dislodging Honey Spider and diving to the side to avoid another crossbow bolt. Despite how she said it, the yellow type avatar was right. This wasn't getting me anywhere. I had to get away!

Once more, I dove to the side, this time avoiding Honey Spider as she dove at me, and dashed into the forest. "Aw, where are you going?!" I heard her shout. "We were having fun."

Yeah, _fun_. I ignored Honey Spider's shouts, and the glowing crossbow bolts that raced towards me. Thankfully, none of the bolts found purchase on my person and I escaped them. At least for the moment.

I managed to run for at least ten minutes until I had to rest. I still found it strange that real world stamina translated to in-game stamina. Sure, I was faster than in reality, but I could only last as long as I do in the real world. Regardless, I needed to rest.

Knowing that I couldn't very well stand there in open, I hid myself under a bush large enough to grant me cover. Not a second later, I heard heavy footfalls followed by lighter ones. As their footsteps grew closer, I could begin to make out the voice of Honey Spider.

"Oh Drakey-poo~!" she called out in her twisted sing-song voice. "Where are you~?"

Chills ran down my spine. This must be what it's like to be in a horror movie. As they drew closer, it sounded as if their footsteps separated, indicating that they had most likely split up to cover more ground. The lighter footsteps, the ones I assumed to belong to Honey Spider, drew closer to my hiding spot.

"Come out come out wherever you are~!" she sang, drawing nearer and nearer. I felt my heart stop as her footsteps slowed to a stop a mere two feet from the bush I was hiding under.

Time seemed to slow to a standstill as I waited and prayed for her to leave. What felt like an eternity later, her footsteps receded and her calls resumed. I waited another thirty seconds before I finally released the breath I had been holding and allowed myself to relax momentarily. Now that I was, for at least the moment, safe, I decided that I needed a plan.

Okay, okay. Calm down Cadmus and think. What do you know about those two. First, Honey Spider. Aside from her somewhat sadistic personality, the she was incredibly fast and agile. She had no weapons aside from her claws, which she used in conjunction with hand-to-hand combat. Her attacks didn't do much damage, but with her speed, the damage added up. She was also a yellow Duel Avatar, meaning that she specialized in 'jamming', whatever that was, but she has not showcased such an ability.

Burgundy Arrow, as a red Duel Avatar, was a long-range fighter, as was evident by his crossbow. Like with Honey Spider's claws, Burgundy Arrow's crossbow bolts didn't do a whole lot of damage thanks to the properties of my metallic Duel Avatar, but the rust effect was something to look out for. From the few times he actually shot at me, besides when I was running from him, Honey Spider was a considerable distance away from me. Maybe he wasn't confident with his aim? That would definitely explain why the only times he hit me head on was when I was unprepared for him.

A frustrated groan threatened to spill out of my throat. Going over what I knew just showed how perfect of a team the duo was; she'd distract me while he got me when I was off guard. Even if Burgundy Arrow's accuracy wasn't the greatest, they were still besting me in terms of damage output. If things went on the way they were, I'd be down twenty burst points!

Just like Barnaby planned…

I forcibly pushed down the bubbling rage that threatened to overwhelm me. I would have to deal with Barnaby after this match, which I was losing, but what could I do? I couldn't fight them both, let alone beat them! Honey Spider stopped me before I could do any damage…to…her…

"God dammit," I cursed aloud. Honey Spider was right, I was pathetic. I had tried a frontal assault against her, failed, and then tried again without a second thought! In what world does that _ever_ work out?! I needed a new plan. One that didn't just involve recklessly charging in.

"Found you."

My blood chilled at the familiar voice speaking right next to me. I dove out of my hiding place, frantically looking around for Honey Spider, but she was nowhere in sight.

"Up here~" she sang, her voice coming from right behind me. I whirled around, my gaze finding the tree that had been right behind my spot. To my surprise, she was _sticking_ to the trunk like…well, a spider!

I could practically feel her satisfactory grin as she no doubt picked up on my surprise. Without another word, she leapt at me, with her claws bared. I managed to dodge, but she just landed in a crouch and jumped at me again.

This time when I dodged, I wasn't so lucky and her claws managed to score a hit on my side where I had less armor. With a wince, I swung my claws at her, forcing her to momentarily retreat, then took off through the forest again. I needed time to figure out a plan and I couldn't do that in the middle of combat.

"If you keep running away like this, I'm going to start to take this personally~!" Honey Spider purred, sounding much closer than I would have liked. Chancing a look, I blanched when I saw her gaining on me by jumping from tree to tree, shuffling around the trunk before jumping again.

"Shit!" I cursed, trying to run faster, knowing that it was only a matter of time before she caught up to me, and if she did…

I frantically shoot my head returned my attention to my surroundings. There was no way to escape her unless I could slow her down in some way, but how? She was too high up for me to attack her and I didn't want to risk turning around and facing her. That would be a fight I wouldn't win. What could I do?

As if a switch had been flipped, an idea burst into my mind. I couldn't get her from up there, but I _could_ bring her down to my level.

Skidding to a halt, I turned on my heel and charged towards the tree Honey Spider was about to land on, simultaneously activating my special move. My horns shifted to their antlered state just as I swung my head, their pointed branches carving through the tree trunk like it was wet paper.

While my attack didn't cut through the entire trunk, it cut enough that, when Honey Spider landed on the tree, the additional weight caused the tree to tilt and fall. Honey Spider released a shrill scream as the tree fell with a cacophonous crash, pinning her legs to the ground.

My eyes widened, having not expected the tree to actually fall on her, but I wasn't complaining. The tree had done almost half her health and left her in the perfect position for a counterattack.

Without hesitation, I rushed towards her, determined to deliver some well-deserved payback. Honey Spider, who had been struggling frantically to get out from under the tree, noticed my approach, but strangely didn't panic. In fact, she chuckled.

Heeding the warning bells that were going off in my head, I forced myself to stop and brought up my arms just as the pincers on the front of her helmet separated and shot a glob of some kind of pale-yellow substance at me. The glob splattered against my right arm and burst into what I could only describe as incredibly thick webbing that covered my entire arm from elbow to my hand.

"What the hell?" I tugged at the webbing with my free arm, but it just got stuck to my other hand. I was thankfully able to free my left hand, but my right was still trapped. This must be her 'jamming' ability that yellow avatars were known for.

"Did you really think a spider would be without webbing?" Honey Spider laughed, sending another glob of webbing at me.

I jumped away, just narrowly avoiding the sticky projectile which splattered across the ground, creating a near perfect spider web. A frustrated growl rumbled through my throat. I had her pinned, but I still couldn't get to her!

"Dance, monkey! Dance!" my opponent jeered as she fired more webbing at me.

I frantically dodged the projectiles, steadily getting pushed further away from the pinned avatar. I tried repeatedly to get around the webbing, but Honey Spider was shooting in every possible direction, not even aiming for me anymore. Frustration building with every second. I glared at her, not that she could actually see it, but her gaze wasn't on me. In fact, it looked like she was looking behind me.

The metaphorical hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I dove to the ground, just as a glowing bolt shot through the space I had just been standing.

"Looks like you remembered that you have _two_ opponents!" Burgundy Arrow spoke mockingly as he stepped out from behind a tree. "I have to admit, you gave us more trouble than I anticipated, but that ends now!"

With another growl, I made to get up from my kneeling position only to be met with resistance. Looking down, I saw that my left leg was glued to the ground by a wad of webbing. I was stuck.

"Like a fly caught in a web!" Honey Spider cheered.

"And like the fly, he will soon be made a meal!" Burgundy Arrow said, leveling his crossbow at me and firing. To my surprise, however, instead of a singular bolt, a virtual swarm of glowing red needles shot towards me.

Eyes wide, I could only cross my arms in front of my face against the needles. I grit my teeth to keep myself from crying out as it felt like multiple bee stings erupting all over my body. Thank heavens for whoever installed pain dampeners to this game!

The barrage only lasted a couple of seconds, but by that point I was covered in needles. They didn't do much damage, in fact they did less than a single bolt, but when I looked down at my body, my heart dropped as I saw the telltale signs of rust forming around each needle puncture.

"Too bad for you. You won't be able to pull all of those out!" Burgundy Arrow jeered. "But don't worry, I won't make you sit there and suffer." He lifted his crossbow once more. "I'll end this quickly!"

 _Twang!_

A normal bolt sunk into my shoulder.

 _Twang!_

Another one struck me in my thigh.

 _Twang!_

One in my stomach.

I fell forward, no longer able to keep myself up. The three bolts pulsed with energy, the rust was spreading at a much faster rate. My health was draining fast. I only had a couple of minutes left. Three at most.

Both Honey Spider and Burgundy Arrow were laughing, their victory all but assured. The crossbow wielding avatar leveled his weapon with my face. "This is the end," he said. "Looks like Turquoise Sentinel was right. You really are pathetic."

At the mention of Barnaby's avatar's name, my heart skipped a beat. The hopelessness that had been slowly growing in my heart shattered. All I could think about was the blonde's smug face, sneering at me as if I was below him. Anger flooded through me like air into a balloon, swelling inside me and threatening to burst. I couldn't lose here, to them. I had to proof Barnaby wrong!

Renewed vigor shot through me like a shot of adrenaline, giving me the strength to pull myself up. Before Burgundy Arrow could fire, I tried one last attempt to free myself and tried to claw through the webs. I nearly cheered in triumph as my claws cut through the sticky strands that were holding me in place, but there wasn't any time. I scrambled to my feet and jumped to the side just as singular bolt sank into the spot I was stuck to.

"Tenacious little shit, aren't ya'," Burgundy Arrow grumbled in annoyance. "I guess you want to draw thi—" I didn't bother listening to anymore. There wasn't any time. I rushed the crossbowman, catching him off guard. "H-Hey! What are you doing!"

Ignoring the indigent cries of the red avatar, I attacked him, taking an admittedly large amount of satisfaction as my claws carved through his red armor. He tried to back away, but I wouldn't let him. I kept on him like a fly to honey, clawing at him with an almost primal ferocity. While my right hand was still gunked up, I could still use it to punch him. Each hit a scored, taking out a sizable chunk of his health, his red armor not doing much in terms of defense.

Like I figured, there was very little Burgundy Arrow could do to fend me off. He was a long-range fighter, meaning his close-quarters fighting was almost non-existent. What's more, because I was so close, Honey Spider couldn't risk shooting her webbing at me in fear of trapping her ally.

"Will. You. Back. Off?!" Burgundy Arrow shouted angrily, swinging his crossbow and cracking it across the side of my head. Slightly dazed, I instinctively smacked his arm away and jabbed at his unguarded chest with my unwebbed hand. He cried out in pain as I opened up a hole in his chest and fell onto his rear.

Triumph flooded my mind, but I couldn't afford to dillydally. The needles in my body were still chipping away at my health.

I made to attack again, but stopped when I heard the sounds of approaching footsteps from behind me. Honey Spider had gotten free.

"It's ove-AAK!" she shouted only to choke as I swung around, cracking my tail against her side as I spun. However, instead of just letting her go, I made my tail wrap around her waist, pulling her as I spun. With a roar, I slammed threw her into Burgundy Arrow, who was just getting up. The duo tumbled across the ground in a tangle of assorted limbs, rolling straight into one of Honey Spider's web traps.

With the duo restrained, at least for the moment, my mind raced frantically. The rust had spread across almost all of my body and my health was dangerously low. I needed to beat them both at that very moment, but none of my attacks would do enough damage to finish the job in time. Not even my special move.

As I tried to come up with a plan, my eyes found the tree that I had knocked down. I grinned. That could work.

My special move gauge had filled up a bit, just enough for one last attack. Taking care not to step into any webbing, I charged towards the tree closest to the trapped duo. Activating Horn Rush, I cut through the tree while simultaneously slamming my tail against the opposite side towards Honey Spider and Burgundy Arrow.

The struggling duo paused in their efforts at the sound of wood cracking and breaking. They looked up just in time to see the tree I had just cut falling towards them. They screamed in unison before the loud crash of the tree falling on them drowned them out. In an instant, the remainder of their health was depleted to zero.

I had won.

-Rise of the Dragon-

My mind returned to my body with a jolt. A gasp tore through my lungs and I almost collapsed. I forced myself to take smaller breaths in hopes to come down off my adrenaline high. I had done it. I won!

"Hmm. You did not perform as poorly as I expected you to."

And just like that, my good mood was gone.

I slowly turned my head to meet the gaze calculating gaze of Barnaby Williams. For what felt like the hundredth time that day, anger bubbled through my veins. Not even thinking, I lunged towards him, intent on throttling the prick, only to wind up flat on my back.

"Crude," he commented, staring down at me apathetically. "Is there a reason you saw fit to attack me."

"You set me up to fail!" I shouted, getting back to my feet. "You set up this fight so I'd lose all those burst points!"

"Keep it down!" Barnaby said in a harsh whisper, eyeing our surroundings. "Mentioning aspects of Brain Burst out loud is a good way to get yourself outed as a burst linker!"

"Does it look like I care?!" I demanded. "I want to know why you did that?! Why the hell did you sell me out like that?!"

"Sell you out?" Barnaby questioned, raising a brow. The smallest of smirks on his face. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Whatever do I—you left me to deal with those two by myself while you galivanted off to wherever you were!" I shouted at him. "The two that, by the way, you conspired with!"

"'Conspired'. I'm surprised you know that word." I lunged at him again, but he just smacked my hands aside and pushed me away. "Oh, calm down. It was just a joke."

"Well I'm not laughing," I growled. "I want an explanation! Was this payback for yesterday?!"

"Please," Barnaby scoffed. "I have better things to do with my time than plan revenge on every person who gets under my skin."

"Then why?"

"As I said, I believed that a different way of teaching would work better than just telling you the motions."

I blinked. "What?"

"I believed that having a 'hands on' approach would do you well," Barnaby said with a nonchalant shrug. "I wished to see how you would react when faced with a foe, or foes, that you couldn't beat with just brute force."

"So, you put me against _two_ other burst linkers?!" I demanded incredulously. "I could have lost twenty points!"

"Oh relax, you were never in danger of losing those points. As I said, it was a teaching moment, not a punishment," Barnaby said, rolling his eyes.

Wait, what? Did he just say that I wasn't in any danger losing points? What the actual hell?!

Barnaby seemed to take noticed to my confusion because he sighed. "Look, think back to your fight. Even though they were level one, both Honey Spider and Burgundy Arrow had more experience than you, right?"

"Right," I answered, unsure of where he was going with all of this.

"Yet Burgundy Arrow's shots _only_ hit when you were either caught off guard or stuck," Barnaby said. "Or the fact that he revealed himself rather than continue to shoot at you while hidden."

"…uh…"

"Or how, despite telling you not to do the same thing over and over again, Honey Spider did just that despite her claws not doing much damage."

"…"

"Not to mention that neither of them used their special move during the entire duel."

"…"

"Yes, I convinced them to fight you while I stood by and watched, but you weren't ever going to lose. Had you not turned things around in the end, Burgundy Arrow would not have shot you. More than likely he would have hit Honey Spider before himself so that you could win."

"B-But why?" I was so confused. Why would they have done that instead of taking the win?

"Because that's what I asked them to do," Barnaby replied, much to my shock. "You see, both Honey Spider and Burgundy Arrow are members of Knights of Dawn."

"What?!" I practically screamed, earning several looks from pedestrians around us. I blushed and spoke in a much softer voice. "They're part of the guild?"

"Technically they are potential members as they must first reach level four before they can officially join, but yes, they are part of the guild," Barnaby answered. "And as members, they were more than willing to assist me in your training and both of them have more than enough burst points to spend."

Barnaby frowned, his eyes becoming focused on something in front of him that I couldn't see. He snorted and swiped at whatever it was. "It appears that you impressed Honey Spider and Burgundy Arrow enough to warrant a message."

I just stared at him, trying to process everything that had just been dumped on me. "So, I wasn't going to lose points…?"

"You're just now realizing this? Unbelievable," he muttered to himself. "Regardless, I'll work up a training schedule for you and give it to you at school tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your day."

With that, Barnaby turned sharply on his heel and began to walk away, leaving me in my stupor. He stopped for a second and turned back to me. "I admit, my first impression of you may have been hastily made. You do seem to have _some_ potential. Not much, but some."

Before I could react, Barnaby turned away again and made his way out of the park. I stood there for several minutes, my mind reeling. "Did Barnaby just compliment me?"

-Rise of the Dragon-

I wasn't at all surprised to see Ashton once more standing outside my apartment door when I returned.

"Cadmus," he greeted when he saw me approach.

"Ashton," I returned. "Did you want to come in?"

"No, I actually have to head home. I just wanted to see how you were doing after…that," Ashton said.

I flinched slightly. "Did…did you know…?"

"Know that Barnaby was going to make you fight two people at once?" Ashton finished. I nodded, unable to meet the dark-skinned male's eyes. "No," he sighed. "Had I known Barnaby had planned something like this, I wouldn't have allowed it."

My shoulders sagged in relief, a sharp sigh escaping me. I'm not sure why, but knowing that Ashton hadn't been in on Barnaby's plan was reassuring.

"However, despite my disapproval of the method, I cannot deny the results," Ashton added. "You showcased great instincts and adaptability, two things that are crucial for any good burst linker. You are still rough around the edges, but I think we can make a diamond out of you yet."

A slight blush colored my cheeks at Ashton's praise. I hadn't heard much in terms of compliments since my parents, so getting compliments was something I wasn't entirely used to.

"Anyway, I should get going," Ashton said, glancing at his watch. "I will see you tomorrow."

"O-Oh. Okay," I responded.

Ashton gave me a final smile and turned to leave before pausing. "Before I forget, is your sister here?" he suddenly asked, turning back around.

I blinked, taken aback by the sudden question. "Um…probably not. She's usually at school during the day."

"Even on the weekends?" he questioned.

"Well she lives on campus…"

"Wait. You live here _alone_?" Ashton asked, suddenly appeared alarmed.

"I mean, yeah," I said with a shrug. "She sometimes stops by, but between college and her job, she doesn't really have time to visit."

Ashton looked strangely troubled by what I said, but he didn't press the issue. "Right…well, I'll see you tomorrow."

"O…kay…" I faltered as Ashton had already left before I could finish speaking.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The Unlimited Neutral Field

The next couple of months were a bit of a blur for me. After the whole Eric Cho, my school life went a lot smoother. Rumors spread about how I conspired to get Eric kicked from school, going as far as giving him the knife. This made everyone slightly fearful of me and a good portion of the school made it their priority to give me a wide berth. Even some of the teachers were more skittish around me, most likely fearing their jobs.

Despite the rumors being far from the truth, I did nothing to curb them. They way I saw it, the rumors weren't really hurtful and they kept the bullies away, so I let it go. It would eventually run its course and people would forget about it.

Anyway, outside of my now bully-free life, I was also doing better academically. Ashton took it upon himself to tutor me during out lunch hour when he found out about my grades. Now, I was by no means a poor student, but I couldn't deny the results as my usual C's and B's became B's and A's. He even stopped by my house every other Sunday to go over my homework and help me study for any tests that I may have. He would even bring groceries on occasion.

It was…nice. Having someone to care enough to help me. It was like having a parent again, or at least a sibling. One that was actually there, but it was also a little strange. I get that he enlisted me to join his guild, but it was still a little weird to have him so invested in me.

Anyway, aside from all that, Ashton deemed me capable of dealing with most level one burst linkers and allowed me to keep my neuro linker on at all times. He even encouraged me to go out more so that I may encounter more burst linkers and earn more exp. I guess he wanted me to reach level four as quickly as possible so that I could join the guild.

Regardless, with Ashton's blessing, I began to battle much more often and without supervision, though I was sure that Ashton watched my fights with the other burst linkers that 'followed' me. I would be lying if I said that I won every battle in spectacular fashion. In fact, I lost a good bit of them, but each time I grew. Soon, I was winning the majority of my battles, and by a larger margin each time.

On top of that, since my fight with Burgundy Arrow and Honey Spider, Barnaby and I reached something at least loosely resembling an understanding. He cut back on his scathing remarks and insults and I listened to his instructions. I also, at his behest, joined a karate studio about a block from the school, as it was cheaper than Barnaby's Tae Kwon Do dojo. He felt that learning the proper way to fight hand to hand would be beneficial since my Duel Avatar had no weapons outside of its claws and tail.

I would never say it out loud, but those classes helped immensely. Sure, I had to substitute claw strikes with the punches they taught me, but it was still worked. Especially since I now knew how to block and counter effectively. I still had trouble with ranged fighters, but hey. It was a learning curve.

The one bad thing that came from all of this was that I was lying to Cecil about what I was doing in my free time. Sure, I wasn't _totally_ lying when I told her I was doing karate for exercise or that I was hanging around Ashton because he was tutoring me, but I wasn't telling her everything. Cecil was my first friend and here I was lying to her about what I really did. Part of me wanted to tell her or even give her the app, but something in me shot down the idea before it could fully grow.

It was like the calm before the storm. An omen of what would soon occur that settled in my gut with the weight of a bowling ball. It reminded me of those stories of dogs knew when natural disasters were about to hit or how they could sense when people were close to death (as morbid as that sound). I was probably overreacting, but the feeling was real enough to keep me from telling Cecil. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if something happened to her.

Morbid thoughts aside, things the past couple months have been relatively good. Which made it only natural that the peace was broken in the most abrupt way.

-Rise of the Dragon-

"That's another win for me!" I cheered as I decelerated, the cool Saturday morning air once more rushing across my face. My last opponent was tough, but I had played my cards right and scraped out a victory.

"I will admit, I are performing much better than when you first started," Barnaby commented, rising from his spot on the park bench.

"Was that a compliment? Wow, I'm shocked!" I quipped.

Barnaby cocked his eyebrow. "Is that a tone of self-assurance I hear? Surprising coming from a nobody like you."

I smirked in response. Normally, I'd get angry or upset from a comment like that, but lately, I've been feeling nothing but confidence. Probably from all the battles I'd been winning. I was in a constant state of cloud nine. For once in my life, I wasn't just some nobody sitting in the background. I was strong and multiple burst linkers knew my name. Well, they new Platinum Dragon but the point remained. So, instead of responding, I just fiddled with the Brain Burst app.

Checking my current status and moves, I smirked when I saw the bold 3 next to my name, signifying my level. I had also accumulated quite a lot of points. In fact…

"I think I have enough points to reach level four," I said aloud.

"Oh, really?" Despite his blasé demeanor, I could hear a note of intrigue in his voice.

"Yep, though I'd only have thirty burst points left over," I said after crunching the numbers. I sighed. "I guess I should wait a little while longer…"

"That's probably for the best," Barnaby said. "Ashton would most likely want to talk to you before you leveled up."

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Most likely to inform you of the dangers that come with joining the guild," Barnaby said dismissively.

"Dangers?" I asked, that feeling of impending doom settling in my gut. I quickly squashed down that feeling. I was overreacting. Barnaby was probably talking about fighting stronger enemies or something. Nothing to worry about.

Barnaby seemed to notice the tension leaving me and narrowed his eyes. "You don't believe that there's danger?"

"Well, I mean, sure there's the danger that I'll lose Brain Burst if I lose all my points, but I just need to watch out for my points before I duel," I said.

"Careful now, getting a big head so early in the game will only end in crushing defeat," Barnaby said.

"I'm not being arrogant," I argued. "I'm just saying that there's not much to worry about in terms of leveling up."

"That sounds like arrogance to me," Barnaby deadpanned.

"Look, I'm just saying I know the dangers of being a burst linker. Reaching level four won't change anything," I said. I then grinned and spread my arms open, gesturing to myself. "Besides, like you said. I've been improving. With time, I'll be that much better."

Okay, okay. Maybe I was being a _little_ arrogant, but can you blame me. Brain Burst was something I was actually good at! So, what if I wanted to boast a little? You can't blame me for that!

Well, Barnaby apparently could. The blonde glared from behind his horn-rimmed glasses. "So, you think you can handle anything that the game can throw at you?"

"Well, maybe not everything," I said, though I didn't lose my smirk, "but I think I can give it a good effort."

Barnaby observed me with that calculative look of his. A few seconds passed before he grinned. Not smirked. _Grinned_. A terrifying grin that sent immediate chills down my spine.

"Well, if you're so confident, I don't suppose you'll object to a little trip?" he asked, his voice borderline evil.

I was instantly wary. "No…?"

"Good." Dear God, his grin was getting bigger! "Then meet me here tomorrow morning. Oh, and do level up."

"But I thought—"

"What? You're not scared, are you?" he asked in an infuriatingly condescending voice.

Looking back at that moment, it was painfully obvious he was goading me, but I couldn't help it. I was high off of the power and confidence being a burst linker gave me. "I'm not scared!"

"Then meet me hear tomorrow and don't forget to level up," Barnaby said, departing with a casual wave, his grin never failing, and I couldn't help but think…

What the hell had I just agreed to.

-Rise of the Dragon-

The next day came with trepidation. I spent my burst points to reach level four in the morning rather than when I got home to minimize my chances of being challenged. I had about thirty-five points left and while that might seem like a lot, I just had to lose four battles and I'd lose Brain Burst permanently. I didn't want to take the chance.

When I got to the park, Barnaby was standing next to the fountain, his grin from the other day once more on his face and, once again, I found myself questioning my decisions. Barnaby noticed soon after and his grin widened impossibly. "Well. You had me thinking that you wouldn't show up."

I hummed, not really knowing what to say. I was admittedly uneasy. Despite trying to squash the feeling of unease that I had the other day, it had returned full force this morning. I had no idea what Barnaby was planning and, while part of me knew that Barnaby wouldn't put me in any real damage, but there was another part of me that couldn't help but feel that I was walking to my death.

I was sure that Barnaby noticed my unease, but he thankfully didn't comment on it. "I take it you elevated your level." It wasn't a question.

"Y-Yeah," I gulped.

Barnaby nodded, appearing to be pulling up a screen with his neural linker. "Good. Then you're ready to go."

"Go?" I asked. "Go where?"

Barnaby gave me a sideways glance and I swear the light bounced of his glasses in such a way that I couldn't see his eyes like they did in anime. The sight brought my unease back full force.

"Where you ask? Why, the Unlimited Neutral Field!"

-Rise of the Dragon-

Following Barnaby's instructions, I pulled up a new tab that had appeared in the Brain Burst app and selected it. What followed was the same sensation that I experienced every time I entered a duel. When my vision returned, I saw that I was in my Duel Avatar and I was beginning to think I had just initiated a duel. That is, until I fully looked around.

At first glance, it looked like I had stepped into a post-apocalyptic world. The sky was a smoky black. The buildings were all heavily weathered, some of them even crumbling. There was absolutely no vegetation what so ever and the concrete and asphalt ground was heavily cracked. In other words, it just looked like a rand dueling field, but with one major difference.

The only health bar and special move gauge I saw was my own and the timer had the infinity symbol on it.

"What the…?" I was really confused. Had I entered some kind of duel? If so, who was my opponent and why wasn't there a time limit? Before I could contemplate the anomaly further, a sudden explosion echoed. I spun around in alarm and saw a billowing pillar of smoke rising into the sky, just over a nearby hill.

Hoping that I could find some answers as to what was going on, I rushed towards the explosion. As I climbed the hill, I could begin to hear the sounds of fighting and shouting, confirming that there were people there. I finally reached the top of the hill, only to yelp when I realized that it wasn't just a hill. It was a cliff, and I had almost toppled over the side.

After a solid second of comically flailing my arms, I regained my balanced. With a sigh of relief, I allowed my gaze to fall to the scene below. Below me was a large clearing that must have been based off of the park's center, though it was hard to tell with the broken building that surrounded the area. To my shock, there weren't just two Duel Avatars fighting. There were many of them, fifteen if I was counting right, all with various colors and designs.

What I was seeing didn't make any sense. I knew there could be double battles between burst linkers, but neither Ashton or Barnaby had said anything about their being battles that could have _that_ many fighters. It was insane.

As I looked closer, I noticed that it wasn't a free-for-all like I had first thought. They were…working together, but against wha—

My unasked question was soon answered as a loud roar cut through the burst linkers' shouts. Looking around for the source, I blanched when I saw a large _monster_ stepping out from behind a nearby building and, when I say monster, I mean _monster_.

I knew it wasn't a burst linker because it didn't look remotely metallic. It was twenty feet tall with a lizard-like head and glowing red eyes and completely covered in dull gray fur. It had relatively short legs and overly large arms. Its fingers and toes had foot long, razor sharp claws. Six large, black, oily tendrils sprouted from its back, whipping around in an almost frantic frenzy.

"Wh-What the hell is that thing!" I shouted, taking a step back and almost falling down the back of the hill.

"An NPC."

Caught off guard, I admit, I did shriek like a little girl. Whipping around I saw Barnaby's Duel Avatar, Turquoise Sentinel staring at me. "Barnaby!"

The turquoise colored Duel Avatar ignored me for the moment and walked past me. He looked down at the fight that was ensuing between the burst linkers and the monster. "Hmm…looks like a beast-class NPC," he commented offhandedly. "Those poor fools probably bit off more than they could chew. Also, don't call me Barnaby. When we're here, call me Turquoise Sentinel."

"Bu-Bu…" I was at a loss for words. What was going on?!

Barnaby turned to me and stared, giving me the feeling that he was raising a brow. "Something you want to say?" he asked innocently.

I blinked, trying to gather my thoughts. "What is this place?" I finally got out.

"As I said before, this is the Unlimited Neutral Field," Barnaby said.

"But what does that mean?" I asked, slight exasperated. "What exactly is this place! And what the hell is that?!" I demanded, pointing at the monster that was in the middle of stabbing several burst linkers with its tendrils.

Barnaby sighed before slipping into his 'lecture-mode'. "The Unlimited Neutral Field, as I'm sure you can tell, is similar to a normal dueling field though on a much grander scale as it encompasses the entirety of the accelerated world. It acts similar to a large network, allowing for multiple burst linkers to enter at any time. Well, as long as they have the burst points for it."

"How many burst points does it cost?" I asked warily.

"Ten."

If I had a real mouth, it would have hit the floor. "WHAT?!" I screamed. "That means I only have twenty points left!"

"I'd keep that to yourself," Barnaby said. "While there aren't many, there are burst linkers that get a kick out of making people lose Brain Burst."

My hands were covering my mouth in an instant. I frantically looked around to see if anyone was around. Thankfully, there wasn't anyone around and I could rest easy. "So, you mean to tell me that I can still lose burst points to other burst linkers here?" I whispered.

"You don't need to whisper," Barnaby said and I could just feel him rolling his eyes, "and yes. If you are defeated by another burst linker, they gain ten of your points, regardless of their level. However, before you start panicking, only the burst linker that gets the 'killing blow', so to speak, get the points so you don't have to worry about losing a bunch of points at once should you be attacked by several burst linkers at once. You can also lose points to NPC's."

"You can lose points to those things?!" I exclaimed, looking back towards the monster that had just decimated half of the burst linkers fighting it. "Why the hell would developers create things like that?!"

"My guess? For a challenge," Barnaby replied. "Mind you, not all of them are that powerful as that creature down there, but they do give out a substantial amount of burst points to all those who took part in its destruction."

"You get burst points from beating those things?" I asked, fear mixing with intrigue.

"Of course. How else do you think level nines get burst points?"

"…that's a good point." I looked back towards the beast. "So, there's just an infinite number of monsters out there."

"No, their numbers are finite, though they do respawn at every Transition, a random period where the environment shifts into a different stage," Barnaby explained when he saw my head tilt in confusion.

"Oh…" I muttered. A thought then occurred to me. "Wait, if we accelerated to get here, then that means…"

"Correct, time moves much quicker here than in the real world," Barnaby finished. "A single day in the real world equals three years here."

"That's incredible!" I exclaim. "I could get so much done here! All that time, grinding…I could reach level nine and only a day would have passed! Why was Ashton so worried about me coming here? It's great!"

"Because it's _dangerous_ ," Barnaby stressed.

"How so?"

"Spending a couple of days here is one thing, but spending longer can have detrimental effects on your mind."

"What do you mean by that?" I was slowly starting to feel worried.

"Think about it. Spending a year or more here and reentering your body that hasn't aged. Let's just say that it can be jarring."

"That…makes sense." I swallowed thickly. The possibility of literally losing my mind was more than a little worrying. I twitched anxiously, a sudden desire to get out of this place growing with each passing second.

"Relax, the effects only occur if you spend too much time here. You'll be fine as long as you only stay here for a few hours," Barnaby said disinterestedly, most likely having noticed my anxiety.

"Right…" Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to calm down. "So…what now? Did you just want to show me this to terrify me?"

"No," Barnaby replied shortly. "If I wanted that I would have thrown you in front of one of those NPC's."

Despite being in a virtual body, I could swear I could feel a chill running up my spine. Just the thought of being close to one of those monsters that I had just witnessed decimate close to a dozen burst linkers was like a nightmare. "Yeah, I'm glad you didn't."

"I simply wished to impress upon you the severity of this place and the dangers of this app," Barnaby continued.

I nodded in response, not trusting my voice. This was just another reason why Brain Burst was such a risky program. I knew there had to be some kind of catch. The ability to essentially stop time was far to great of a power to just _give_ the power to children without some kind of monkey's paw.

Barnaby silently regarded me, seemingly able to detect my agitation. "You know, it's not too late to give up the app."

"Huh?"

"You can give up the app," Barnaby repeated, his voice strangely soft. "If all of this is too much, no one would hold it against you. Not even Ashton."

For a second, for single, drawn out second, I actually considered it. Giving up Brain Burst, forgetting the past two months I had as a burst linker. Returning back to my normal life, my boring, everyday life, free of duels and robotic avatars.

But I knew I couldn't.

I clenched my fists tightly. I had made a promise. A promise to help Ashton with his goal of reaching level nine, and, if there was one thing that could be said about me, I don't go back on my promises.

"No." I winced at how shaky I sounded. I coughed, trying to get back control of my emotions. "No," I repeated, my voice much steadier the second time around. "I'll be fine."

Barnaby gave a short sigh but nodded all the same. "I see…" he said somberly. "In that case, we should head out. Ashton will most likely want to speak to you about joining the Knights of Dawn."

I nodded, suddenly exhausted. I wanted nothing more than to go back to my apartment and curl up in my bed. Unfortunately, a sudden voice ended those plans.

"Oh? Leaving so soon? I think not!"

Before either Barnaby or I could turn around to face the speaker, a _missile_ of all things screamed towards us and detonated at our feet.

I must have blacked out for a second, because the next thing I knew I was in free fall. Still dazed, I flailed my arms, trying to reach the cliff face in order to slow my fall. I nearly cried out in relief as I was able to sink my claws into the stone before nearly screaming in agony as the pain hit. My hand felt as if I were pressing it into a sander. I instinctively pulled my hand away, startled and stunned by the pain I had just experienced. A second later, I slammed into the ground with a painful crack.

I gasped loudly, struggling to breathe. What was happening? Why did it hurt so much? Brain Burst was supposed to have pain dampeners that lessened pain and got rid shortly after. But the pain, it wasn't stopping!

"Are you okay?" Barnaby's voice cut through the pain filled static that was engulfing my mind. Looking up at the turquoise colored avatar, I noticed several cracks and dents all over his body.

"Y-Yes," I answered shakily, coughing harshly as I rolled over onto my stomach and pushed myself to my knees. As I raised my head, I saw that we were indeed at the bottom of the cliff. A few yards away, the bodies of those that had been felled by the NPC not minutes earlier were still strewn across the ground. My health had a good chunk missing, but that was the least of my problems. "What's going on?"

"Allow me to explain!" The same voice from before rang out from above them. Looking up, we could see two figures. The first one was a reddish Duel Avatar with a spaceman-like appearance with rounded shoulder pads, black trim and midsection, and their right arm was a canon. The second figure was an almost blinding neon yellow. Their appearance reminded me heavily of a wizard, with a tall, conical shaped helmet decorated with twin white lines shaped like 'U's and a white cloak with a popped-up collar. His eyes were a glassy green and he looked to have something that looked like a respirator for a mouth.

The yellow figure, the one that had spoken before, seemed to grin, even without an actual mouth. "This is an ambush."

"Topaz Warlock," Barnaby hissed from beside me.

"Turquoise Sentinel," the yellow avatar mocked.

"You know these guys?" I asked, trying my best to ignore the pain coursing through me.

"I only know Topaz Warlock, but if the red one's with him, then he can only be bad news," Barnaby replied before turning his attention back to the now named Topaz Warlock. "What are you doing here, Warlock?!"

"I do believe I just answered the question," Topaz Warlock commented. "This is an ambush. An attack against Ivory Paladin and his Knights of Dawn."

Whatever Barnaby had expected, this wasn't it. "What?" he asked, clearly surprised.

"And I thought you were smart," Topaz Warlock jeered. "Do I need to spell it out to you? We're here to send a message to you _leader_." He spat out the world 'leader' as if it were poisonous. "You're. Not. Safe."

Those words caused my heart to skip a beat. The sheer amount of malice in the yellow Duel Avatar's voice was _suffocating_. It was like he _actually_ wanted to kill them. Not just beat them or destroy their avatars, but kill _them_. Just who the hell was this guy?!

"Cadmus." I nearly jumped when Barnaby whispered my name. "Whisper," he hissed before I could speak. "We need to get out of here. Now."

I swallowed thickly. Barnaby was a very proud person. He never backed down from a challenge, so if he were insisting that we run, then we were in serious trouble. "How?" I whispered. "Is there a logout function?"

"No," Barnaby answered grimly. "The only way to logout is to get to one of the designated logout zones. Even if we're defeated, we'll be stuck here, frozen for an hour before we're revived."

I gulped. Who in their right mind would design such mechanic?!

"Can you stand?" Barnaby asked.

"I think so," I said. I tried to push myself to up only to fall back down, a pained cry escaping me. "GAH!" I exclaimed. "Why does it hurt so much?"

"It will pass," Barnaby said impatiently, grabbing my arm and trying to force me to my feet. "Now, get up!"

"Oh, you haven't explained that mechanic of the Unlimited Neutral Field?" Topaz Warlock asked, a sinister chuckle tinging the edges of his words.

"What…mechanic?" I gasped, unable to help myself.

I could practically feel the yellow avatar's savage grin. "Why, the fact that the pain dampeners are non-existent here."

My heart did stop at that. No pain dampeners? But that would mean…

"That means, any damage you get here will feel the same as if you received the same injury in the real world!" Topaz Warlock confirmed my fear. "The pain may fade quickly, but by the time it does, you'll wish you were dead. That, I promise."

I swayed slightly on my feet. I thought back to all the injuries I had sustained as Platinum Dragon and I felt sick. I had been stabbed, shot, dismembered, and everything in between. Just imagining that happening to me in real life was a terrifying prospect.

"I'll tell you what, Platinum Dragon," Topaz Warlock suddenly addressed me. "You've only been a burst linker for a few months, yet you've already made quite a name for yourself among the lower level players. You've got potential. You haven't joined Knights of Dawn yet, so I'll give you an ultimatum: join _my_ guild or we'll keep beating you here until you're out of points and lose Brain Burst forever."

"Guild? What guild?!" Barnaby demanded.

"I wasn't talking to you, Sentinel, but I'll let it slide this time," Topaz Warlock said, wagging his finger as if he were scolding a child, "but do be careful in the future. My friend here, Brick Mortar, isn't as forgiving as I am." As he said this, Topaz Warlock gestured to his companion, who leveled their weapon at us.

"Regardless," he continued, "the guild I am referring to, and the one you will be joining, is called Advent's Fall."

"Advent's…Fall," Barnaby repeated to himself. When I glanced at him, it looked like he was thinking.

"So, what say you, Platinum Dragon?" Topaz Warlock questioned. "Will you join, or will you lose Brain Burst forever? The choice is yours."

My eyes narrowed and my jaw set. The pain had finally faded from my body, allowing me to stand at my full height. "Barnaby," I whispered. "How far is the nearest logout zone?"

"Too far," he whispered back. "Normally, I'd just fight Topaz Warlock one on one, but that other one's a wild card. I have no idea what would happen if I fought them both."

"Could I—"

"No," Barnaby denied immediately. "Both of them are out of your league. You'd be more of a hinderance than anything. Our best bet is to make a run for it and hope the red avatar can't score any direct hits."

I winced at the though of being hit by another missile knowing that there was no pain filter. As if reading my thoughts, Barnaby spoke again. "You are still well armored. The pain may be unfiltered, but your armor will still offer some protection."

I nodded my head and steeled my nerve. It wasn't the best plan, but it was the only one we've got.

"I'm still waiting for an answer~!" Topaz Warlock called in a sing-song voice.

I turned to look up at Topaz Warlock, hoping that he could feel my glare through hundreds of lines of code. "You can take your offer and shove it up your ass!"

A moment passed. "Well…" the yellow avatar said, sounding taken aback. "That was a rather… _eloquent_ way to refuse my offer. A simple no would have sufficed, but to each his own."

He sighed dramatically. "Well, we'll see how you feel after lose a few fingers."

"Get ready to run," Barnaby said to me. I nodded, preparing myself to sprint.

"And in case you harbor any thoughts of running…!" Topaz Warlock suddenly said, as if he had heard Barnaby. He then raised his hand in a purposefully slow manner and snapped his fingers. Instantly, three more burst linkers stepped into view and stood next to Topaz Warlock and Brick Mortar. At the same time, at least _seven_ other burst linkers came out from around one of the broken buildings.

We were surrounded.

Topaz Warlock seemed to smile behind his respirator. "There's no escape for either of you."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

A Dragon's Roar

"Dammit," Barnaby cursed.

"What do we do?" I asked, not at all ashamed of the slight tremor in my voice as I stared at the advancing burst linkers.

Barnaby didn't respond right away, which worried me immensely. Barnaby always had an air of confidence about him, but seeing him then, clearly afraid and uncertain, I couldn't help but feel scared.

The surrounding burst linkers silently closed ranks around us, stalking towards us like a pack of wolves closing in on their prey. Up above, the other three were slowly making their way down the cliff face, all while Topaz Warlock's cruel laughter echoed. We were completely trapped.

"Marcus." I jolted when I heard Barnaby speak. His voice was quiet and almost eerily calm, save for a slight waver to his voice. "I hate to say it, but things aren't looking good for us."

"Is there anyone we can call or something?" I asked desperately.

"With the time dilation? No, they'd have to already be here for anything to get through and even if they were, they'd never get here in time," Barnaby said grimly.

"So, what do we do?" I asked, flinching at a vicious grin one of the advancing burst linkers seemed to give me.

"We've got no choice but to punch our way out of this," Barnaby said.

"'Punch through them?'" I repeated incredulously. " _That's_ your plan?!"

"Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of options," Barnaby snapped waspishly. "We need to force our way through their lines and get to a log out zone."

"You expect us to be able to get past all of them?" I questioned.

"Hopefully, Topaz Warlock decided to go with quantity over quality in terms of his…associates," Barnaby said, though he didn't sound very confident. "With luck, we'll be able to push past them and get to a zone. Either way, stay close to me."

"Luck," I repeated, slightly exasperated.

Barnaby gave a wordless nod, bringing up his shield and readying his lance. Gulping, I readied myself, slipping into the basic stance I had learned in karate. Behind us, the three burst linkers that were scaling the cliff were almost upon us while the others had formed a semi-circle around us. For several excruciatingly long seconds, none of us moved. We all just stood there, silently observing one another. Then, as if a signal had been given, they attacked.

I would love to describe what happened next as an epic battle where Barnaby and I defied all odds and defeated each and every burst linker attacking us, with timely explosions here and there, but I can't. In reality, much of what happened was nothing more than a blur of colors and echoes of metal impacting against metal.

Like Barnaby had guessed, it seemed like the burst linkers Topaz Warlock had brought weren't very good. This, of course, is relative considering that they were all level four, but, had it not been for the Unlimited Neutral Field' requirements, I would have pegged them for lower level players.

For one thing, the melee fighters had little to no actual form or tactics. They just swung their weapons around like a child with a pool noodle. Even I wasn't _that_ bad when I first started. They should have definitely gotten better as the went up in levels, but clearly not. They also kept hitting each other by accident. I could sort of understand why, there were only two of us and almost twenty of them. Some collateral damage was to be expected, though not the level in which they were doing it.

I could only see two red avatars, aside from Brick Mortar who had remained at the top of the cliff with Topaz Warlock, but there seemed to be more than just the two of them attacking from a range. They weren't doing nearly as bad as the others, though that probably because they weren't doing much. Unlike the melee fighters, those with ranged capabilities seemed to be more careful and less willing to attack when there was a change of collateral damage.

However, despite the ineptness of our attackers, the numbers game was proving to be too much for both Barnaby and myself.

For the most part, all we could do was dodge the onslaught of attacks, hardly given the chance to strike back for fear of leaving ourselves open for attacks. Not to mention we had to constantly watch our backs so we weren't literally stabbed in them. Twice we tried to rush through their lines, once using Barnaby's shield, the other after I'd used _Horn Rush_ , but each time we did, a missile, courtesy of Brick Mortar, would come screaming through the air and explode in front of us, forcing us back into the other burst linkers.

For the most part, most of the hits I took, aside from Brick Mortar's explosions, were glancing blows, but they were starting to add up. Not to mention the lack of pain dampeners made each hit feel like my body was being set on fire. After my initial fall from the cliff, I had lost about a quarter of my health. Currently, I had little over a third of my health. I couldn't see Barnaby's health, but, judging by the dings and scratches covering his armor, he was in a similar situation.

We were currently pushed back close towards the cliff, the rest of the burst linkers forming a tight semi-circle in front of us. We had no chance of escape now and, if things continued the way they were, we wouldn't last much longer.

My thoughts shattered as pain erupted from my side. Without even looking, I swung around, grabbing the blade that had just pierced through my armor, yanked it out of me, and spun around to face my attacker. The burst linker, a wood colored figure with what looked like a metal dog's head, seemed to have been shocked by my action, but I didn't give him time to react. I smashed my fist into his face before letting go of his weapon, a short dagger that jutted from the top of his hand, and slashed him with my claws. The burst linker fell to the ground, crying out in pain.

Panting, I turned around, having heard someone getting too close and saw a blue avatar lunging towards me with some kind of curved sword. They were too close for me to dodge. Just as they were about to impale me, a familiar turquoise lance, spinning like a high-powered drill, carved through him, tearing off his arms and taking a chunk out of his torso.

I barely withheld a sympathetic wince when the burst linker screeched in absolute agony, the pain of losing their limbs most likely more than they could bear. Their screams, thankfully ended just as quick as they started as the burst linker, severed limbs and all, suddenly lost color and went still. They were defeated.

"Are you okay?" Barnaby asked me, his voice thick with exhaustion and aggravation.

"Y-Yeah," I managed to get out, barely managing to dodge a relatively slow-moving bullet.

Barnaby grunted, bringing up his shield to block a large claymore sword from turning him into a grease pot. I immediately began moving closer to the turquoise colored avatar, knowing that, since he used his special move, he would be without his lance for several more seconds until a new one spawned on his arm.

I plunged my claws into the flank of the one attacking Barnaby, a particularly large green avatar, causing him to shout and grip to falter. Immediately, Barnaby swung his shield, knocking the claymore away before slamming his shield into the avatar's face. Momentarily stunned, he was unable to catch himself as I lashed out at him with my tail, wrapping it around his ankles and causing him to trip and crash to the ground. He wasn't done, but he was dazed for the time being.

"Keep pushing!" Barnaby shouted to me, regaining his lance and stabbing at a burst linker that got too close. "We just need to take out a few more before we can—"

Whatever he was going to say was lost as a loud bang followed by a steadily growing high-pitched whistle echoed through the area. Before I could comprehend what was happening, something _sliced_ through his arm at his shoulder.

Time seemed to come to a screeching halt. Bits of turquoise colored metal filled the air as Barnaby's right arm, lance and all, was severed at the shoulder. I could see Barnaby's glowing eyes widen from behind his mask in surprise as he stared at the place his arm used to be. All at once, time restarted as Barnaby's arm fell to the ground, and Barnaby cried out in pain.

Barnaby fell to the ground, clutching the stump where his arm used to be, his shield having fallen to the ground shortly after he was hit. I could only stand there, frozen in horror at the horrifying image of Barnaby laying there, his right arm laying a few feet away.

"What…?"

The sound of falling rock snapped me out of my temporary stupor. Turning, I saw Brick Mortar sliding down the cliff using his left arm to control his descent, his right arm shifting from a slightly slimmer design to its original cannon shape. My eyes narrowed. He had to have been the one who shot Barnaby.

Pulling my gaze away from the red avatar, I took note that our attackers were starting to move closer. With a growl I lunged forward, swinging at those that got too close. "Stay back!" I shouted, my claws leaving five long gashes across the chest of a beetle looking burst linker.

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen," the grating voice of Topaz Warlock rang out from above. Chancing a glance, I would have gaped had I had an actual mouth. The wizard-like burst linker was _hovering_ just a few feet away above Brick Mortar, descending in tandem with the red burst linker. The yellow burst linker's entire demeanor read smug and confident, as if he knew he won, which, to be honest, it looked like he had.

A pained grunt at my feet alerted me to Barnaby beginning to move. I quickly crouched to help him, looping my arm around his non-severed arm. "Are you okay, Barnaby?"

"Obviously not," Barnaby grunted, slowly rising to his feet. It was clear that he was still in incredible pain, but he refused to let it show. He shrugged me off, his glowing eyes narrowing with obvious anger and defiance.

"I will admit," Topaz Warlock began, seemingly oblivious to Barnaby's glare, "I didn't expect either of you to survive more than thirty seconds against my little posy. Clearly, I was mistaken." Despite the wizard's jovial demeanor, I could hear an underlining threat in his voice. I must not have been the only one as almost all of the other burst linkers shuddered in fear, Brick Mortar being the exception.

"Regardless," Topaz Warlock continued. "I'm going to have to end this little confrontation here and now. Unless of course…you wish to get on your knees and beg."

I could feel the yellow burst linker's twisted smile stretching across his face. Beside me, a low growl escaped Barnaby's throat. "What was that?"

"Oh? Has the pain made you temporarily deaf?" Topaz Warlock asked flippantly. "I said, if you get down on your hands, or in your case, hand, and knees and beg me, I might just let you walk away from all this."

"And we're just supposed to believe you?" Barnaby snarled.

"What can I say? I'm in a good mood. If you appeal to my better nature, I might just let you two leave," Topaz Warlock said with an almost nonchalant shrug. I say almost, because I swear, he was grinning at us.

I didn't need Barnaby to tell me that he was lying. His very presence screamed malicious intent. He wanted nothing more than to see us humiliate ourselves before snuffing out our last ray of hope. This man…he was nothing but evil.

"You'll get no such satisfaction from us!" Barnaby shouted defiantly.

The yellow player didn't appear dismayed by Barnaby's answer. In fact, I would wager that he expected it. Topaz Warlock shrugged in an uncaring manner. "Ah well. I tried. Mortar."

It took me a second to realize what Topaz Warlock had just said and, by the time I realized it, it was already too late.

The red gunman raised his cannon arm, pointing it directly at me and Barnaby. For half a second, I thought it was a bluff. Their men were too close for him to fire a rocket at us and it didn't look like his arm was shifting to whatever form it had been when he shot Barnaby. There was no way he'd shoot.

This thought died before it could fully form.

Time seemed to slow to a snail's pace. A flash of fire and smoke erupted from the cannon and a red blur came rocketing out of the barrel. I couldn't move. I was paralyzed by shock. The projectile was racing towards me and I could only haplessly stare at it.

All of a sudden, I felt a tug on my arm and I was pulled to the ground, a heavy object landing on top of me. I didn't get a chance to comprehend what was happening, the Brick Mortar's projectile exploded.

-Rise of the Dragon-

My vision turned white and my ears rang like a gong had gone off in my head. A massive wave of concussive force ripped past me, bombarding my armor with bits of rubble and shrapnel. I most likely would have been sent tumbling across the ground had it not been for whatever was pining me to the ground. Then, just as quickly as it came, it all ended, leaving me reeling.

Slowly, the white veil began to give way to color as my vision began to return, revealing a world full of smoke and settling dust. The ringing persisted, leaving me disoriented and dazed. I groaned, pain racking my body. I rolled onto my stomach, unintentionally dislodging whatever had been on me.

Still dazed, I lifted myself up to my knees before trying to get to my feet. I stopped almost immediately as my vision began to swim and I nearly fell over. I closed my eyes, trying to recover my senses. After a few seconds, I opened my eyes and tried again, this time making it to my feet albeit shakily.

I looked down at myself, taking note of several cracks and dents that now spanned my entire body. I wobbled slightly, noting that my head felt slightly lighter. Bringing my hand up, I felt that one of my horns was missing.

The ringing in my ears was beginning to diminish, allowing me to hear what sounded like soft groans. Turning me head, I saw several figures hunched over in the dust. Even with all the dust, I could see their brightly colored bodies moving in a disoriented manner. Sluggishly, my mind recognized them as the ones that had attacked me and Barnaby.

Barnaby!

I frantically looked around for the turquoise colored burst linker, only to stumble as my vision began to swim again from the fast movements. He had been right next to me when the projectile hit. So, where was he?

I took a shaky step forward in an attempt to search the area only to stumble when my foot caught on something hidden by the still settling dust. Just barely catching myself before I fell, I looked down to see a glint of dulled turquoise peeking out from the dust cloud. My mind, still not fully caught up to the rest of my body, took a while to comprehend what I was seeing.

"Barnaby!" I cried, instantly falling to my knees next to him. To my horror, his body was in a horrible state. Aside from his severed arm, his shield was broken in several places. His armor was missing pieces and heavily cracked. His left leg had been blown clear off and his face plate was cracked. What's worse was that his body was no longer the same vibrant turquoise as before and was now almost gray, indicating that he was 'dead'.

It took me another second to realize that _he_ had been the one that had tugged me to the ground and covered me. He had sacrificed himself to keep me alive.

"Well then. That was rather…dramatic. Then again, you've always had a flair for that kind of thing, Mortar."

I felt my heart still with fear at the all too familiar voice. Topaz Warlock and Brick Mortar stepped through the smoke cloud and stared at me. Topaz Warlock seemed to smirk as he saw Barnaby's unmoving body. "Well, that was easier than I anticipated. Though I am surprised you survived the blast," he added, looking at me. "I guess Metal Duel Avatars are indeed hardier than others. That or Brick Mortar here is losing his edge."

The red burst linker gave no indication that they had even heard Topaz Warlock's joke. They simply kept their cannon arm trained on me and I had no doubt in my mind that they'd shoot another rocket at me if I stepped towards them.

Unperturbed by Brick Mortar's lack of response, Topaz Warlock turned his attention back to those behind me. "Those of you that are still alive, get up," he called out.

"You shot us!" one of the burst linkers shouted in outrage. "You freaking shot at us!"

"Some of us died!" another shrieked.

"You were in the way," Brick Mortar spoke for the first time. His voice deep and heavy. Most likely that of an older man.

"You all knew what you signed up for," Topaz Warlock added. "Casualties were to be suspected."

"Not due to our own allies!" another shouted.

Topaz Warlock waved his hand dismissively. "It is of no consequence. They all had plenty of burst points left. None of them were at risk of the app being uninstalled. These two however…" He turned back to look at me and Barnaby's body. "These two will be losing the app by the end of today."

I felt a lump stick in my throat as I felt the gaze of every burst linker fall on me. I felt isolated and cornered, like a fox being surrounded by a group of hunting dogs. My health was already dangerously low and, to make things worse, Barnaby was out of commission for a whole hour.

I was alone. Outnumbered and, considering the sheer amount of damage Brick Mortar could do by himself, outmatched. It would only take a single hit to do me in and I'd be in the same boat as Barnaby: anxiously waiting for the moment I respawn only to be killed again and again until my burst points ran out. Which would be only two more times for me.

Around me, the other burst linkers began to rally, apparently setting aside their annoyance in favor of focusing on me. I brought my arms up, prepared to defend myself, but I knew it was hopeless. My health was hardly a quarter, my armor was heavily damaged, leaving me vulnerable to attacks. I noted that my special move gauge was full, but it wouldn't do me any good with my condition, but even so…

My fingers curled into tight fists.

Even if I knew I'd lose, I wouldn't just stand around and take it! If I was going to lose, I'd take as many of them down with me!

Resolve crushed my previous fear to the furthest corner of my mind. Determined to go down fighting, I opened the tab for my special move only to pause. The letters that made up _Horn Rush_ were glowing brightly. Before my very eyes, the letters began to distort and rearrange themselves, creating a new move. _Platinum Roar_.

What the hell…?

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to dwell on this sudden change. "You should have joined us when you had the chance," Topaz Warlock said. He raised his right hand, his fingers poised to snap. "If it's any consolation, you won't remember any of this when it's all over." With that, he snapped his fingers and all of the remaining burst linkers lunged at me.

I didn't even hesitate, I didn't have the time to. I activated the new move, neither knowing what it did or how to fully use it.

My heart was beating a mile a minute as I watched my attackers strike at me all while I waited helplessly for whatever this attack was to activate.

Beat.

The melee fighters were getting closer, their various weapons less than a foot away.

Beat.

The ranged fighters had all leveled their weapons at me and had begun to fire.

Beat.

My confidence began to waver as I stared at the encroaching attacks that would no doubt finish me off, leaving a strange fluttering in my stomach.

Beat.

That fluttering feeling persisted. In fact, it began to build up, crackling within me like lightning yet warm like fire.

Beat.

It continued to build up, surpassing my stomach and climbing up my throat, pooling in my mouth.

Beat.

The closest burst linker was mere inches away, their weapon positioned to sever my head from my shoulders.

Beat.

I couldn't take it anymore. Whatever was in my mouth just kept building and building. I couldn't hold onto it any longer. I had to release it.

Beat.

Just as the burst linker before me was about to strike, the robotic jaws of my Duel Avatar snapped open with a hiss and a brilliant blast of silvery energy erupted from my mouth.

I could see the eyes of my closest attacker widen in surprise before they were engulfed by the beam. Soon, burst linkers and projectiles alike were swallowed up by the massive beam that had erupted from my mouth. Stunned by the ferocity of my own attack, all I could do was continue to push the energy that was pooling in my stomach outward.

After several seconds, my special move gauge was emptied and my beam ended. Steam soon billowed out of my mouth in place of the energy beam before my mouth snapped shut. Not that I noticed. My eyes were glued to the devastation I had left.

Before me lay all of the burst linkers that had just tried to attack me. All of them were on the ground, their armor heavily cracked and scorched. A few of them were groaning, either unable or unwilling to get back to their feet. The majority of them, however, had lost the most of their color, indicating that they had been defeated.

I…beat them…

I actually…

"Impossible!" Thoughts of victory fled me as quickly as they came. I turned around to see Topaz Warlock staring at me, unrestrained fury glittering in his eyes.

"H-How…?!" he spluttered, seemingly unable to speak. Even Brick Mortar appeared too stunned to properly react.

I knew it wouldn't last, however. It was only a matter of time before they overcame their shock and finished me off. I had to strike at them before they could recover!

However, before I could move towards them, or they could attack me, a horse's whine cut through the air. Turning around, despite my better judgement, I saw another burst linker, a red one with an old-fashioned cowboy-esk look about him, riding a pitch-black horse with a main and tail that burned with a silvery fire charging towards us.

I saw the new arrival pull out an actual gun, not a futuristic one, but an honest to goodness revolver, and took aim. I tensed, thinking that they were targeting me, but I was proven wrong as the figure fired their weapon and the bullet whizzed past me and hit Topaz Warlock in the shoulder.

"GRAH!" the yellow burst linker roared in pain, clutching his shoulder. The horseman continued forward, firing more rounds at Topaz Warlock and Brick Mortar.

"Dammit," I heard Brick Mortar curse, bringing up his canon arm to defend against the bullets.

"Interfering bastard," Topaz Warlock hissed, wincing as yet another bullet tore through him. The yellow wizard turned to give me a final glare. "I'll remember this."

With that, he and Brick Mortar both began to glow a blinding yellow, forcing me to shield my eyes. The light only lasted a second before it died down, revealing that both Topaz Warlock and Brick Mortar had vanished.

I had survived.

A loud snort and the feeling of warm breath tickling the back of my neck reminded that I wasn't alone. I slowly turned around, coming face to face with the silvery eyes of the black horse. Had I been in any other situation, I would have marveled at how realistic the horse was, but I was more concerned about its rider.

The red burst linker stared down at me, their gun, a six chambered revolver by the look of it, still held tightly in their hand. Now that they were closer, I could see that their avatar had a distinctively feminine appearance. They had a black lines running along the inside of her legs and arms. The top of their helmet was shaped like a stereotypical cowboy hat with a gold star in the center. A green vizor served as her eyes.

I swallowed thickly, preparing myself for the impending attack, only to be stunned when they sheathed their weapon and slipped off their steed. "Are you alright?"

"H-Huh?" I replied dumbly, not comprehending the question.

The red burst linker chuckled at me. She then reached out and patted me on the shoulder. "I'm Cherry Marksman. Barnaby sent a call out and I came as quickly as I could. I'm here to help you."

I could have collapsed in relief. We were saved.

-Rise of the Dragon-

"That was incredibly irresponsible of you, Barnaby," Ashton chastised. His voice was calm and low, but there was an undeniable edge of anger in his voice.

After Cherry Marksman had chased off Topaz Warlock and Brick Mortar, and taking out the burst linkers that had survived my attack, she had slung Barnaby's 'dead' body on her horse, which she explained was actually a lower tier NPC that she had tamed, and took us to the closest logout zone. Once we had returned to the real world, Barnaby quickly called Ashton to inform him of what had transpired. Needless to say, the sophomore was less than thrilled.

"What possessed you to have Cadmus use nearly all his burst points to reach level four then take him to the Unlimited Neutral Field?" Ashton demanded, careful to keep his voice low as to not arouse attention from the patrons of the coffee bar they were sitting in.

Barnaby kept his head down, unable to meet Ashton's eye. "I hadn't intended for any of this to happen. I felt that it was pertinent to show him the true dangers of Brain Burst and what he would be up against should he join the guild."

"So, you took him to the Unlimited Neutral Field?" Ashton asked incredulously. "You couldn't have just explained it to him?"

"Ashton, he couldn't have known all that would happen," I said, feeling that it was unfair that Barnaby was being blamed for something he had no control over.

"Don't try to defend him, Cadmus," Ashton said, giving me a sharp look. "Even if he couldn't have anticipated you would be attacked, taking you to the Unlimited Neutral Field unprepared, not to mention with such a small amount of burst points, was not only risky, but foolish as well."

"But…"

"No. He's right, Cadmus," Barnaby interrupted. "It was irresponsible of to put you in such a risky position, ambush or not." The blond finally lifted his head to look up at Ashton. "I apologize for my actions."

I was floored. Never, in the entire time that I had known him, had I heard Barnaby apologize. He was far too prideful, yet here he was. Giving a sincere apology.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," Ashton replied coolly, his hard gaze never leaving Barnaby.

To my absolute shock, the glasses wearing teen turned to me and bowed his head. "Cadmus, I apologize for putting you at risk."

Okay, I had to be dreaming.

"I-It's fine," I managed to stammer.

Ashton sighed tiredly. "It's not fine, but we currently have more pressing matters to attend to at the moment."

"You're referring to Advent's Fall," Barnaby stated.

"Precisely," Ashton responded. "The fact that they knew that you and Cadmus would be in the Unlimited Neutral Field when you were tells us that they most likely know your identities."

That's right! It hadn't occurred to me at the time, but the only way for Topaz Warlock to have planned his ambush was if he had known of our conversation the day prior. He, or one of his cronies, would have had to have heard us!

"Then what can we do?" I asked, remembering how Ashton stressed the importance of keeping our identities a secret.

"Unfortunately, there's not much we _can_ do," Ashton said. "Nothing short of forcibly uninstalling Brain Burst from Topaz Warlock's neuro linker would remedy this situation."

I flinched. Just thinking about getting Brain Burst getting deleted reminded me of how close _I_ was to losing it. Being forced to forget everything about the app, and everything that stemmed from it was terrifying. I don't think I could wish such a fate on even my worst enemy.

Not that Eric Cho had Brain Burst, as far as I knew.

Barnaby sighed tiredly. "What's worse is that, by the way he spoke, Topaz Warlock isn't even the one in charge of this guild."

"That is troubling," Ashton agreed. The dark-skinned male slouched slightly in his chair. "If we are to take Topaz Warlock's threat seriously, then I fear the entire guild is in danger." He then turned to me. "If you wish to back out, I won't hold it against you."

"I told you before, I owe you too much," I said adamantly. "I'll stand by you and your goal no matter what!"

Ashton nodded, almost hiding the small upturn of his lips. "If that's the case, I believe it's time to make this partnership official."

It took me a second to realize what he was talking about.

"Wait, really? Are you serious?!" I asked excitedly.

Ashton smiled genially. "I am." He held his hand out across the table, offering me a handshake. "Welcome…to the Knights of Dawn."

 **Author's Notes:**

Hey, AuraFighter23 here. I just wanted to apologize for the amount of time between updates. My current job makes it so I really only have time to write after 11 at night. Hopefully I'll be able to update more often in the future. Also, I did change the bit in chapter 7 where I said Cadmus had a second special move slot. I felt that _Horn Rush_ actually changing into _Platinum Roar_ would be better. Again, sorry, and thank you for all of your support. Feel free to leave a review.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The Prodigal Sister Returns

A full month passed since my 'introduction' to the Unlimited Neutral Field. I'd be lying if I said that the encounter with Topaz Warlock hadn't shaken me. He had been waiting for us, for me and Barnaby. He had somehow found out about our plan to venture to the Unlimited Neutral Field, rallied together over a dozen other burst linkers, and nearly ended the game for both me and Barnaby. For him to have pulled this off meant that he had to have at least some inkling to our real identities.

That thought alone caused me several sleepless nights. I kept expecting to be accelerated and forced to duel Topaz Warlock until my points ran dry, terminating Brain Burst from my neuro linker along with my memories. I knew this fear was unfounded, he was a hire level than me after all, but considering the events that took place, I couldn't help it.

Ashton assured me that he was dealing with the Topaz Warlock and his supposed guild, Advent's Fall. I wasn't sure what he meant by that and every time I asked, he would dodge the question or change the subject. It was disheartening to say the least. I had joined his guild for heaven's sake. Was a little trust too much to ask for?

Anyway, things weren't all bad. After I joined _Knights of Dawn_ , I got to meet several of the guild's members. Not IRL of course, but in the Unlimited Neutral Field. I was hesitant to return to that place at first, but after being assured that there would be several other guild members there, I caved. Meeting Honey Spider and Burgundy Arrow again was…strange to say the least. They both acted kind and supported, offering me advise and tactics to use in battle. It was a far cry from how they acted during out first meeting.

Cherry Marksman also made an appearance along with Fuchsia Thorn, a purple color burst linker who had a head that looked like a rose with eyes. To my surprise, there were also two others there named Pine Gemini and Aqua Gemini, and, as their names inferred, they had very similar designs. No, similar didn't do them justice. They looked exactly the same save for their color and weapons; a smallish shield and a sword respectively, both affixed to their right arms. The reminded me of that old Power Rangers show, both in the style of their Duel Avatar's but also in their unnecessary need to over exaggerate all of their movements.

All in all, they were an interesting bunch. I was also told that they weren't all their either. Apparently, excluding myself, Barnaby, and Ashton, who elected to not attend, there were four other members of the guild that were unable to attend the meeting. They told me the guild wasn't very big compared to some of the others, but Ashton, apparently, was picky about who he allowed to join the guild. Quality over quantity or something like that.

I'd be lying if I said this didn't stoke my ego a bit.

Regardless, after my official induction into the _Knights of Dawn_ guild, I threw myself fully into Brain Burst. As I said, the encounter with Topaz Warlock stuck with me. I felt helpless, especially when Barnaby was defeated. Had it not been for my special move changing the way it did, I'd have probably lost Brain Burst forever. I didn't want that to happen. I _couldn't_ let that happen. I had to be stronger.

I battled as many burst linkers as I could, often times going out of my way to visit public places in order to encounter more burst linkers. I even ventured out to nearby districts in order to battle. Soon, much of my free time was taken up by countless battles and ventures to the Unlimited Neutral Field. The latter was done with extreme caution and care. I had witnessed first hand what the NPC's could do and I had no intention of fighting the stronger ones alone, so I settled for the smallest and weakest of them. I still lost quite a few times though…

Anyway, because of this, I made quite a name for myself among the burst linker community. It wasn't so much because I was a strong fighter or anything, (I mean, I still lost my fair share of duels) no, it was because of my special move. Special moves were supposed to be a burst linker's trump card, a technique that could change the tides of any duel. Even so, my new special move was, in a sense, broken.

 _Platinum Roar_ , in my limited experience, was one of the deadlier techniques out there. The sheer amount of damage output that it had was ridiculous. It _sheered_ through my opponents' health like paper in a paper shredder. It was a literal beam of death that even most green players had a hard time weathering my attack. Having such a powerful move didn't make me infallible of course, but it still put me name out there.

Unfortunately, news of a new metal color Duel Avatar with a deadly laser eventually made its way back to Ashton.

It's not like I was hiding that I was going out and dueling, I just didn't advertise it. When I had come clean about what I was doing in my free time, Ashton, while expressing his appreciation for my commitment, scolded me for pushing myself so much. He told me that, even though I was a burst linker, and part of _Knights of Dawn_ , it was important not to become dissociated from reality.

He expressed that, while Brain Burst was important, living only for the app would lead to nothing but strife. He all but forced me to go out and spend time with Cecil and Barnaby, who, after our encounter with Topaz Warlock and his cronies, was considerably warmer towards me, and just relax and take the time to actually be a kid, or at least a teenager, instead focusing solely on Brain Burst. I agreed, albeit reluctantly.

It was a little strange if I was being perfectly honest with myself how much Ashton seemed to care. He went out of his way to tutor me in all of my classes and would randomly come to my apartment to check up on me, sometimes bringing groceries of all things. Whenever I asked him why he did the things he did, he always said the same thing:

"I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

I really didn't know how to feel about this. On one hand, no one had really been that concerned regarding my personal wellbeing since my parents. It was…nice. Having someone looking out for me that is. I imagine that's how most siblings acted towards the other, the older watching out for the younger. On the other hand, I was slightly bitter. I couldn't help but wish that he _was_ my sibling instead of…her.

In all honesty, I'm grateful for everything she did for me, even if they were a little misguided. At the time, however, I didn't really understand the sacrifices she'd made for me, for _us_. She was an enigma, like a very distant aunt that just popped up during a Christmas party. That is, until she wasn't.

-Rise of the Dragon-

" _Did you really_ have _to leave so soon, Caddy?_ " Cecil's slightly mechanized voice complained.

I gave a slightly forced chuckle, giving an equally forced smile. "Sorry, but I've got a lot of homework to get done before tomorrow. If I don't get started now, I won't get done."

" _Awww!_ " Cecil whined dramatically. " _Okay,_ " she finally relented, though she didn't look too pleased. She then brightened a second later. " _I'll see you at school tomorrow then. Bye!_ "

"Bye," I said before pressing a button on my neuro linker, ending the video call. The moment the screen closed, my smile fell, an expression of exasperation pulling at my face. I loved Cecil, I really did, but she could be a little much at times.

All weekend, since school let out Friday to now (Sunday evening), both Barnaby and I have been on _her_ time. The purple haired girl felt that we were "drifting apart" and wanted to amend that. In the end, I suppose it was out fault. Brain Burst strengthened the shaky bond between Barnaby and I, at least to some extent. It was only natural Cecil would feel left out. As such, we had to power through her 'Trio of Friend's Weekend'.

It was fun, don't get me wrong (I swear I saw Barnaby smile once or twice), but damn it was tiring. It was a literal gauntlet of arcades, picnics, fairs, and movies. By Sunday, both Barnaby and I were on out last legs. It was a miracle I was able to slip away before Cecil took us to yet another fair.

I honestly didn't have homework to do (well I did, but I wasn't in the mood to do it) and I would have felt slightly guilty over lying to Cecil had it not been for the _Gauntlet of Fun_. What I really wanted to do was battle.

I was going to grab a quick bite to eat before going back on the town, so to speak. Preferably in another district as to not run into Cecil. With that plan in mind, I unlocked my door, my mind set on getting to my fridge, only to freeze.

There was a woman sitting in my living room.

A very familiar woman with ebony hair that would have fallen well past her shoulders had it not been pulled into an elegant ponytail.

She turned her head when at the sound of the door opening and I was met with a face that was nearly identical to mine. The same shape, the same eye color, the only real difference was that she had a much fairer complexion. She wore a white dress shirt with solid black buttons and an embroidered lion head over her right breast pocket, the uniform of her college if I remembered correctly. An olive-green neuro linker peeked out from her collar.

Her eyes narrowed when she saw me walk into the room. Opposed to the surprise I was feeling, and undoubtedly showing, her face was a mask of ice. Even having known her for as long as I had, I was never good at reading her mood, or rather she was incredibly good at hiding them from everyone.

Her eyes lazily roamed over my form, taking in my appearance and I had to fight the urge to fidget. Every time I saw her, I felt like I was being examined, judged like a show dog or a prized pig. It was even worse considering her expression gave nothing away.

After what felt like an hour of tense silence, she finally spoke. "Cadmus."

"Phoebe," I returned. Several more seconds of silence passed. I swallowed, my throat feeling incredibly dry.

"Aren't you going to offer me a drink?" she asked, catching me off guard slightly.

"I would have thought you'd have gotten one already, seeing as you let yourself into my apartment and all," I said before I could stop myself.

She made a sharp clucking sound with her tongue, expressing your displeasure. "Seeing as I pay for you to live here, I'd say it's _my_ apartment," she said, lifting a single well-sculpted eyebrow.

"Then shouldn't you be offering _me_ a drink?" I snarked, my eyebrows creasing.

Phoebe sighed tiredly, turning away as if unable to look at me any longer. My hands twitched, longing to curl into fists. "I would have hoped you'd have grown out of your more childish mannerisms."

I bristled at that remark. "There's nothing wrong with my mannerisms. I'd say this is a common reaction towards someone who decided to show up unannounced!" She just hummed noncommittally, still not looking at me. "Why are you here anyway?" I asked grumpily.

She turned back around, her eyebrow once more lifted to her hairline. "Is it uncommon for a sister to want to see their brother. Or for a guardian to check up on their charge?"

I crossed my arms, a scowl working its way over me mouth. "Is that what I am now? Your _charge_?"

She sighed. "Cadmus, we do this practically every time we see each other. Let's just skip it."

I had to mash down the growl that threatened to tear its way from my mouth. Just listening to her prim and superior voice was enough to put me on edge. It was like dealing with Barnaby for too long, but worse. As I struggled to smother my anger, Phoebe had risen to her feet and circled the couch she had been sitting on.

I saw that, along with her shirt, she was also wearing her school's skirt, which was black with a stripe of white just above the hem of the fabric. She wore plain black leggings and fancy shoes. Now that she was standing, I noted that she was a head taller than me, much to my chagrin.

She walked past me and closed the door, which I had left open in my surprise. "It's not smart to leave your door open like that. Someone might break in," she said.

"Yeah, _someone_ ," I muttered under my breath. "So, why are you really here?"

Phoebe didn't say anything at first. She once more walked past me, entering the living room, reclaiming. I followed behind her and took a seat in the arm chair across from her with what must have been an expectant look on my face.

Phoebe regarded me with an unreadable expression. "To be honest, I'm here because of your grades."

I blinked. "My grades? What's wrong with my grades?" I thought I was doing rather well all things considered.

"There's nothing wrong with them?" Phoebe responded, her voice sounding deliberately blasé. "In fact, they're better than they have been in quite some time." Her eyes narrowed considerably. "I find it rather strange that your grades would experience such an incline in such a short period of time."

I found myself reflexively flinching at the accusing glare she sent me. Did she think that I was cheating or something?

"I-I've been studying," I responded, internally wincing at how unconvincing that sounded.

"Oh?" Phoebe tilted her head slightly, her cold gray eyes showing disbelief. "I find that rather hard to believe considering that, in the past, you have shown very little care for such activities."

I bristled at that remark. "Look, I studied. That's all there is to it," I bit out, now openly glaring. "Glad to know that you have such a low opinion of me to think that I'm unable to do well in school."

"I would kindly ask that you not put words in my mouth," she reprimanded. "I never once said that I doubt your scholastic skill. In fact, I have never doubted your abilities, merely your work ethic."

My mind blanked for a solid minute. "What?"

Phoebe simply rolled her eyes. "It's clear that you're not stupid, Cadmus. After all, both Mother and Father were reasonably intelligent. I would make sense that their children held the same amount if not more so," she spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I felt my eye twitch slightly in annoyance. The way Phoebe talked, the cold and calculating way she mentioned our parents, it irked me. She was able to talk about them with absolutely no emotion or care. Like they were nothing more than factors in an equation.

I shook my head, forcing myself from those thoughts and focused back on Phoebe as she called my name. "S-Sorry, what was that?"

Phoebe sighed and muttered under her breath. "I asked what spurned this sudden change in attitude?" she repeated in a louder voice. "What changed to make you suddenly care about your studies."

"I…uh…I just wanted to do better in school is all," I replied awkwardly. I was reluctant to mention Ashton, not because I was ashamed to admit I had a tutor, but because it would lead to questions about how we met and I doubted any lie I could come up with would satisfy Phoebe.

"I see…" Phoebe said. The tone of her voice never changed, but I noted that her eyes narrowed.

An unsettling silence fell upon us. Phoebe continued to stare at me, her eyes unblinking and searching as if trying decipher what I wasn't telling her. Opposed to her, I was a bundle of nerves, fidgeting every five seconds as I struggled to maintain eye contact. I could never stand up to Phoebe's death stare.

"S-So, how are things at college?" I asked, hoping to change subjects.

Phoebe's eyes narrowed further, and for a second, I thought that she'd press the issue, but she seemed to play along. "Everything is fine," she replied curtly. "As I'm sure you are aware, Davenport University is an incredibly prestigious place of study. They expect each and every one of their students to flourish in all of their courses. As such, much of my time is devoted to studying. All other free time is reserved for my work."

I know she didn't mean for the last bit to be reproachful, but I couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. While Phoebe wasn't exactly there for me when Mom and Dad died, she still provided for me. Before she went to college, she worked as many hours as she could in the local supermarket in order to earn enough money to support the both of us. She only got into Davenport off of a scholarship. I wasn't too sure of what her current job she was, but she earned enough consistently transfer money into my account every week.

"I…I could always get a job," I whispered.

"No, no. You should focus on your studies so that you can get into a good school," Phoebe said immediately. "I'm working so that you don't have to. You shouldn't worry about working until you enter your junior or senior year."

"Okay," I said, trying (and probably failing) to keep the guilt from my voice.

Phoebe regarded me, her gaze softening a fraction of a degree. "Cadmus…"

Whatever she was going to say next was interrupted by a sudden knock at the door. "Cadmus?" a very familiar voice called. "Are you in? It's Ashton."

Phoebe's eyes returned to their previous steely appearance. "Who is that, Cadmus?"

I didn't respond. I doubt I could have. I could feel the blood leaving my face as a stone settled in my stomach. Robotically, I got up and walked over to my door, only hesitating a few seconds before opening it.

Ashton, with his hand poised to knock again, began to smile before it contorted into a frown upon noticing my expression. "Is something wrong, Cadmus?" he asked, worry bleeding heavily through his voice.

All I could do was stare at him helplessly. I tried to open my mouth to say something, anything, but no sound left me so I just closed it again. My mind was racing a mile a minute. How was I supposed to explain this to Phoebe? Maybe I could just say that he was a friend…no, that wouldn't work. She knew about Barnaby and Cecil and about how most people at school treated me. There was no way she'd buy it.

"And who are you?"

I jumped a little at how close Phoebe's voice was. I slowly turned my head and jumped all over again when I saw my sister standing directly behind me, her steely eyes focused on Ashton. Ashton, in turn, turned his attention towards the slightly taller female, a curious yet guarded look glimmering behind coffee-colored eyes.

"My name is Ashton Calloway. I'm a year above Cadmus at Silver Oak," Ashton responded, allowing his gaze to perform a quick once over. "Just going off of your appearance, I'd say that you're a relative of Cadmus, his sister of I were to hazard a guess."

I noticed a glimmer of recognition flash in Phoebe's eyes when Ashton introduced himself. It wasn't too surprising. Even among the older generation, the name Ashton Calloway had weight to it, if only for his prodigious ability that many top colleges scrambling to get their hands on. No, what was surprising was what happened next.

All at once, Phoebe's expression contorted into a dark glare of hatred. Her steely eyes burned with promised malice. Her lips were pulled into an almost feral snarl. Her fingers were curled into incredibly tight fists, her nails appearing like they would pierce through her skin. In all my life, I had never seen Phoebe like that. She had always been the picture of calm and collected for all of my life. Seeing her like this was like seeing her turn into a literal monster.

Then, as quickly as it happened, she calmed down. The whole shift happened in the blink of an eye, making me question if I had seen it at all. "I see," she said, sounding as if she was forcibly keeping her voice calm. "And yes, I am Cadmus' sister, Phoebe Markos."

"Well then, it's nice to make your acquaintance," Ashton said amiably, holding out his hand to shake, seemingly having not noticed Phoebe's shift.

Phoebe regarded the outstretched hand, disdain clear in her gray eyes, and didn't take it. She gave a noncommittal hum and turned back to me, completely ignoring Ashton. "Well, I must be going now. I have an exam tomorrow morning and I need to study." She carefully nudged her away around me before practically shoulder checking Ashton.

"Phoebe," I began. Why was she acting like this towards Ashton? She paused, already halfway down the hallway. She turned slightly towards me, pinning me with a cold stare and stopping me from asking my questions.

"It was good to see you again, Cadmus," she said, though her tone contradicted this. "Stay safe."

With those final words, she turned away and left, leaving both myself and Ashton standing int eh middle of the hallway. Neither of us moved until we heard the sharp chime of the elevator and the muffled sound of its doors closing.

"Well, she seemed nice," Ashton commented. It was obvious he was trying to lighten the mood, but it sounded grating on my ears.

"What was that about?" I asked, turning to face Ashton. "Why did she seem to…"

"Hate my guts?" Ashton finished, causing me to nod. The dark-skinned male sighed, tiredly. "It's honestly not a surprise," he said. "A lot of college kids have that kind reaction when they hear my name."

"Really? Why?" I asked.

"Most of them feel threatened, knowing that I already have scholarships lined up for me despite being so young," Ashton said.

"Oh," I mumbled. While it was slightly disturbing to hear that many 'mature' young adults would have such thoughts towards someone younger than them, but I couldn't picture Phoebe being one of them. So, that begged the question: what caused her to react like that?

-Rise of the Dragon-

Ashton stayed with me for a couple more hours, helping me with some homework, though I only half listened. My mind was still struggling to come to terms with Phoebe's surprise visit. Not only had she visited me, which almost never happened except during holidays (though even those encounters were brief) but her sudden mood shift when she saw Ashton. It was all just too confusing. So, when Ashton left, I decided to just call it a day and get some rest.

That was when I was forcibly accelerated.

Literally, as I was just about to lay down when, instead of hitting my mattress, my back slammed into stone causing a metallic clang to emanate through…

"A cave?" I muttered as I stood up, rubbing my back. Glancing around, it looked like I was indeed in a cave. A cave with multiple torches lining the walls. Walls that, when illuminated by the torchlight, revealed what could only be hieroglyphics. "A tomb?"

"The _Pharaoh's Tomb_. A fitting place for you to meet your end."

I whirled around in shock, my arms instinctively raising up in front of me in defense. Leisurely walking towards me was a slim figure stepped into the torchlight. Their color was hard to decipher in the orange glow of the torches, maybe some kind of yellow? Their head was a smooth helmet with two protrusions that looked like small wings on either side of their head and a single ovular visor that was blue in color. Moving downwards, I immediately could tell that they were female as their breast plate was more…pronounced. She had twin, small, rectangular pauldrons, each with their own blue gem, reminiscent of their visor. Around her waist was a skirt of sorts. I say 'of sorts' because it was entirely of made up of short about a dozen short, lances. A singular lance, maybe half the size of a normal one, was held tightly in their hand. Glancing upwards, the name _Gold Valkyrie_ burned brightly above us.

Another metal colored Duel Avatar!

"So, _you_ are Platinum Dragon," Gold Valkyrie commented lazily. Their voice sounded odd. Their voice was definitely female, but oddly deep.

"Yeah, I am," I said, still on edge.

She hummed noncommittally, seemingly regarding me carefully, though it was hard to tell as she had no visible eyes. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she had an uncaring air about her, seeing that she looked rather lax at first glance, however, I could clearly see her grip on her weapon tighten.

Judging by the timer that was counting down above us, a full minute had passed in complete silence. We stared at each other, both of us tense and ready to strike at a moment's notice. Even in my virtual body, I could feel a cold bead of sweat begin to run down my spine. A deep sense of foreboding washed over me, like how catfish could sense earthquakes before they happened. Gold Valkyrie, whoever they were, was dangerous.

"I won't bother asking, since I already know the answer," Gold Valkyrie said suddenly, startling me. "I'll just say this; leave the _Knights of Dawn_ guild now!"

That caught me off guard. How the hell did she know I was in that guild?! There was no indicator that I was part of one, so how—?

My thoughts came to a screeching halt as pain erupted from my stomach. Looking down, I could only stare in shock and horror at Gold Valkyrie's lance, which was currently piercing through my gut, its wielder directly in front of me.

"F-Fast," I managed to stutter.

"Indeed," was all she said before she suddenly kicked me, forcibly pushing me off her weapon and sending me crashing to the ground. Gold Valkyrie stood over me, her lance hovering just below my chin. "Faster than you can ever hope to be."

She lifted her weapon up, her form poised to strike me, and I had just a split second to roll out of the way. I scrambled to my feet, preparing to lunge at her with my claws, only to be stabbed in the shoulder. Before the cry of pain had fully left my mouth, the gold burst linker had torn their weapon from my shoulder, spun around, and slashed me across my chest.

Fighting through the pain, I swung my claws, only from my hand to be smacked aside by the lance. "Sloppy," Gold Valkyrie commented, sounding bored. Growling, I opened my mouth (or whatever I did to talk), only for my words to be replaced by a sudden cry of pain as my thigh was pierced through. "I'd focus more on fighting than talking if I were you." Not even giving me a chance to retort, she came at me like a hurricane.

I raised my arms to defend myself, but it was no use. Gold Valkyrie's speed far exceeded my own, she ducked around my guard, dealing hit after hit on my person. It didn't help that we were in a fairly narrow hallway, giving me limited room to dodge, yet, because of her sleek form, Gold Valkyrie could skirt around me and strike me from all angers.

I staggered back, my once pristine armor, cracked and dented from the constant abuse. Gold Valkyrie, on the other hand, looked as pristine as when we first started.

"Dammit," I cursed in between my labored pants.

Gold Valkyrie silently regarded me, her lance held loosely in her hand. It was hard to gauge what the burst linker was thinking. They seemed aloof yet tense at the same time, like she was waiting for something. Or maybe…reluctant to fight?

The latter of my thoughts was proven wrong as, once more, Gold Valkyrie shot forward. I tried to dodge, but once again, my speed wasn't enough and I was impaled by her lance. Even with the pain suppressors of the game, I couldn't stop myself from screaming. Up above, I could see my already low health begin to drop drastically.

Fighting through the pain, I forced myself off of the weapon. Stumbling backwards, I could only gasp in pain, grasping the small hole my stomach now sported. I had thankfully been able to remove the weapon before my health had fully depleted, but I was low. Dangerously so.

"Why are you doing this?" I managed to get out.

"To show you what awaits you if you continue along this path," Gold Valkyrie responded. She leveled her lance towards me. "You will experience nothing but pain and suffering if you continue to associate with Knights of Dawn and Ivory Paladin."

My heart began to race. They knew about Ashton's Duel Avatar, but how…? "You're part of _Advent's Fall_ , aren't you?" I demanded. "You work for Topaz Warlock!"

A low chuckle emanated from my adversary. "Close, but not quite. I am part of _Advent's Fall_ , but I do _not_ follow that fool," she said the last part with such venom that I physically flinched.

"But if you don't follow Topaz Warlock, then who—"

"Enough questions!" Gold Valkyrie snapped, cutting me off. "You will get no answers from me. All you need to know is…"

"Yeah, yeah," I interrupted, my annoyance very clear in my voice. "Pain and suffering. Yada, yada, yada. I frankly don't give a damn about your threats."

"It's not a threat," Gold Valkyrie said. "It is a warning of things to come. If you were smart, then you'd heed my words."

"Oh, yeah? Well, heed this!" I shouted before activating my special move. I had taken enough damage to fill my special move gauge fully, meaning I could sustain _Platinum Roar_ for ten seconds. While it didn't seem like much, the damage my attack could do made it more than enough.

The familiar feeling of my form's jaw clicking open and the rapid build up of energy washed over me. The energy rose up my throat and began to quickly pool in opened mouth, bathing the dimly light room in almost blinding light. With a roar, a bright beam erupted from my mouth, rushing towards Gold Valkyrie.

I was sure I hit her, my attack completely encompassed hallway after all, so it came as a shock when something rushed _through_ my attack and rammed into me. Caught off guard I stumbled backwards, my attack shutting off prematurely. Before I could comprehend what just happened, I sharp pain erupted from my back and I was sent crashing to the floor. With a low groan, I rolled onto my back and stared shell-shocked at a _still_ undamaged Gold Valkyrie.

"H-How?" was all I could say.

"As I said, only pain and suffering," Gold Valkyrie responded solemnly. Once more, she brought up her weapon, bringing it up past her head in preparation for a swipe. "Heed my words, Platinum Dragon, stay away from Ivory Paladin and his guild, or our next meeting will not end as pleasantly."

With those final, chilling words, she swung her weapon and severed my head from my neck.

-Rise of the Dragon-

A startled scream tore its way out of my throat as I fell onto my bed, immediately getting tangled in my blankets. My hands flew to my throat, assuring that my head was still attached to the rest of my body. Feeling nothing wrong, I allowed myself to calm down, though I couldn't rid myself of the phantom feeling of my head rolling off of my shoulders.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to put aside the uncomfortable feelings and immediately dialed Ashton's number, all the while my mind raced. Gold Valkyrie openly admitted that she was part of _Advent's Fall_ , and hinted that Topaz Warlock wasn't the guild leader. We had suspected the latter, there was still something that I didn't understand.

If Gold Valkyrie was truly part of _Advent's Fall_ , why was she warning me?

 **Author's Notes:**

So, earlier in this story, I stated that one can only get burst points from duel when you fought against a burst linker of the same level. I have found out that this is _not_ true and I have gone back and made chances to my previous chapters. I apologize for this and, should I make a similar mistake in the future, feel free to correct me. Thank you all for your continued support and feel free to leave a review.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The Bite of a Snake

I called Ashton as soon as I regained control of my heart beat and informed him of what had just happened. Even on the screen of my video call, I could see the grim expression he wore. His voice was calm, almost scarily so, as he told me to get some rest but to stay vigilant and that he'd talk to both me and Barnaby after school. While I accepted Ashton's words, albeit reluctantly, I just couldn't fall asleep. My mind was fully on Gold Valkyrie and her chilling threat.

" _Heed my words, Platinum Dragon, stay away from Ivory Paladin and his guild, or our next meeting will not end as pleasantly._ " Her words rang out through my mind as clearly as a gong. Just like the incident at the Unlimited Neutral Field, I had felt genuine fear of Brain Burst, or rather another player. Every time she lunged at me, every time her weapon cut or stabbed me, I could feel her murderous intent. In my paranoia, I turned off my neuro linker, fearing being attacked by her again. I thought…I felt…that, if we were in the real world, she really would have killed me.

But at the same time…

Was she really threatening me? Don't get me wrong, she definitely had every intention to hurt me, but her words… She even said it herself; she wasn't threatening me, she was _warning_ me. I have no idea if that was true, she did attack me out of the blue after all, but if she was threatening me, why only attack once?

She was clearly stronger than me. She could have easily continued to challenge me until I was out of burst points, but she didn't. It could have been possible that she thought that she only won because she caught me off guard, but that couldn't have been it. She was in control during the entire fight, there was no way she wasn't confident that she could take me down again and again, so why didn't she.

Could it have been because she was telling the truth, and if so, why go out of her way like she did? Why did she go out of her way to warn me specifically, especially if she was part of _Advent's Fall_? Topaz Warlock showed no hesitance in ordering his men to end my career as a burst linker, so why did Gold Valkyrie care?

My mind raced at the various possible motives behind Gold Valkyrie's 'attack'. Constant conflicting thoughts and possibilities waged war in my head, keeping me tossing and turning for hours. Eventually, I managed to fall into a fitful slumber, Gold Valkyrie's words following me even in my dreams.

-Rise of the Dragon-

When my alarm went off the following morning, I was dead on my feet. Like a zombie, I stumbled through my apartment, doing all my daily tasks in a slow, robotic manner before leaving for school. In all honesty, I didn't even realize what I was doing or where I was going until the school bell rang. I went through my entire day on autopilot. I went to class, did the assignments, took quizzes, ate, everything that I would do normally, but I couldn't focus on it. My mind was still on my encounter with the other metal colored burst linker from the previous night.

The thoughts that had plagued me the night before had followed me even to the next day. I was distracted, hardly able to even go through the motions of the day. I was lucking that Cecil was out sick today or she would have definitely noticed my odd behavior. As it was, hardly anyone paid attention to me, even the teachers tended to see through me, so I was in the clear in that regard.

I tried to find Ashton come lunch time, but I didn't see him when I entered the cafeteria and I didn't have the courage to ask the upper classman where he was. I considered calling him, but I held off. As ridiculous as it seemed, I was scared that, somehow, Gold Valkyrie would somehow be able to connect to the school's network and attack me. Because of this, I kept my neuro linker off (which of course meant I had to take notes with actual pen and paper), so I resigned to wait until after school.

The rest of the day passed both slowly and quickly, as odd as that sounded. It seemed like the time was passing at a snail's pace as I waited for the opportunity to finally talk to Ashton yet, when I looked back on it, the classes seemed to end without me even noticing. Regardless, as soon as the final bell rang, I rushed out to the courtyard fountain to wait for Ashton and Barnaby. I didn't have to wait long as both of them exited the school at the same time. Both of their expressions were grim. In the blink of an eye, we were all settled into 'our booth' at Ashton's coffee shop, both he and Barnaby listening to me retelling of the events of the previous night with rapt attention.

"…and then she said that I would suffer if I continued to affiliate myself with _Knights of Dawn_ ," I finished.

Silence ensued as both Ashton and Barnaby digested what I had just told them. Barnaby looked visibly stunned by what I had said, an expression that I had rarely ever seen on the blonde's face. He also seemed unnerved, like he wasn't expecting this kind of thing, despite being the one to warn me of the dangers of Brain Burst. It was clear that this wasn't something he was expecting. Ashton on the other hand…his reaction was somewhat surprising.

Like when I called the previous night, his face was a mask of grim calmness, only betrayed by a mere flicker of concern in his brown eyes. He had his hands steepled in front of him, his elbows propped up on the table. He was looking at me, but his gaze seemed to go right through me. For the longest time, no one spoke, we all just sat there in tense silence.

"That," Barnaby said, finally breaking the silence, "is definitely ominous."

I couldn't help it, I snorted. I wasn't sure if he meant to, but Barnaby's words had definitely broken the tension that had encompassed our table. I noticed a ghost of a smirk grace Barnaby's features, proving that he _had_ meant it to be a joke (also out of character for the blonde). Even Ashton had a small smile cracking through his grim expression, a short chuckle escaping him.

"All jokes aside, this is a serious matter," Ashton said, pulling his smile back, returning the atmosphere to its previous somber state. "Gold Valkyrie's threat aside, there is a more pressing concern."

"A more pressing concern?" I parroted, my brows knitting together in confusion. What was more important at the moment?

"There is the matter that there is a good chance Gold Valkyrie knows your identity," Ashton said and I felt my heart drop.

"Wh-What?"

"It seems far to convenient that, after Topaz Warlock learned of yours and Barnaby's excursion to the Unlimited Neutral Field, you were attacked by another member of this supposed group, _Advent's Fall_ ," Ashton explained. "I'm not certain, but there is a good chance that your identity as Platinum Dragon is known to at least a few of _Advent's Fall_ 's members, or at the very least, they know where you live."

I struggled to swallow, a cold chill running down my spine. "H-How bad would that be if they _do_ know who I am?"

Ashton closed his eyes, ever so slightly tilting his head downwards to rest against his hands. "As I explained to you Brain Burst is a wonderous thing. Many would gladly give up everything they own for it. If we are to take Topaz Warlock's threat seriously, for whatever reason, _Advent's Fall_ sees us as a hinderance to their plans for Brain Burst. Seeing how you were attacked out of the blue, there is a very high chance that you will be their prime target.

Well…that didn't help with my anxiety over the situation.

"So…they'll be coming after me?" I asked weakly.

"I don't know for certain, but there is a good chance," Ashton said grimly.

"Great, just freaking great," I grumbled, putting my head in my hands. "Why me?"

"I told you there were risks to joining the guild," Barnaby said solemnly. "This, unfortunately, is one of them. Though I admit, I thought there would be more risk within the Unlimited Field than anything else."

"That is the case for most burst linkers and their guilds, but, for some reason, Advent's Fall is fixated on us and that puts us at more of a risk. There's no telling what—" Ashton paused mid-sentence as one of the café's waitresses stopped at our table, placing three mugs of piping hot chocolate (Ashton's treat) in front of us. After a short 'thank you', Ashton immediately took his own drink and took a greedy gulp. I abstained from taking a drink, my stomach was far too queasy to handle anything, as did Barnaby.

"Anyway," Ashton said, setting down his mug. "There is no telling just what this new guild is willing to do to get their way."

"So, now that they know where I live…"

"They will most likely go after you," Ashton confirmed grimly.

I slumped in my seat, my head lightly thumping against the back of my chair's headrest. "Great. That's just perfect," I grumbled. "So, what can I do?"

"For now, all we can do is get you stronger so that you can keep yourself from losing all your burst points," Ashton said.

"Easier said than done," Barnaby scoffed. "While I am willing to admit that Cadmus has some talent, but with enemies like Topaz Warlock, Brick Mortar, and now Gold Valkyrie, bringing Cadmus to a suitable level to combat enemies like them will be difficult."

"But it is necessary," Ashton said with a tired sigh, reaching up a wiping a few beads of sweat from his forehead. "Cadmus is a member of my guild. I won't let any harm befall him."

A feeling of warmth shot through me at Ashton's words. The certainty in which he spoke, made me feel safe despite the situation. It was nice to hear that he was willing to help me. Most people would willingly throw someone to the wolves if it meant saving their own skins, yet Ashton was willing to go out of his way to help me. He really was an awesome guy.

"Thank you, Ashton," I said, my voice hardly above a whisper.

Ashton gave me a smile. I returned the gesture before faltering slightly at the Ashton's expression. His smile seemed…strained?

"But there is something about Gold Valkyrie's message that strikes me as odd," Ashton continued, his (strained) smile falling into a frown. "The fact that she was attempting to warn you away from _Knights of Dawn_ is incredibly suspicious."

"Suspicious?" Barnaby questioned.

"If she was there to merely threaten Cadmus, then why take the time to warn him? Ashton questioned. "It seems more like she was actually warning him rather than threatening him."

"I thought that too," I said, momentarily forgetting about Ashton's smile. "It seemed strange that she'd go out of her way to try and tell me to abandon the guild. I'm not sure why, but she seemed adamant that I leave."

"That does seem odd," Barnaby admitted. "I wonder why she did this…"

Ashton slumped forward, his head falling to his hands, most likely in thought. I too was in deep thought. Why was Gold Valkyrie so hellbent on getting me to leave _Knights of Dawn_? Was she…concerned for me?

"I don't get it!" I exclaimed in frustration. "Was she really trying to warn me or what?!"

"Calm down, Cadmus," Barnaby snapped. "You're making a scene."

I instantly fell in on myself. Glancing around, much to my embarrassment, several other customers were looking in our direction, several of the older denizens were actually glaring at me for disturbing them. "Whoops…" I muttered to myself.

Barnaby sighed in annoyance. "At least have _some_ decorum. There's already a possibility that _Advent's Fall_ knows your identity. There's no reason to make things worse by shouting it out for all to hear."

"Sorry," I apologized weakly, my head bowed.

"It's fine," Ashton said weakly, lifting his head to give me another strained smile, this one far more noticeable. I winced at that. He probably thought I had no control over my mouth.

"Regardless, we will have to proceed with caution from here on out," Barnaby said, picking up his own mug but not drinking from it. "As Ashton said, there's no telling what _Advent's Fall_ will do next."

"What they'll do next…" Ashton murmured, a frown forming on his face as his hell fell back into his hands.

"Mhmm," Barnaby hummed in affirmation. "If they really do want to get rid of our guild, they would most likely start challenging us via duels in hopes to drain our burst points, but if they know who we really are, and if we are thinking the worst-case scenario, they could target us in the real world."

"Target us…in the real world?" I gulped. The mere prospect of being attacked in the real world was terrifying. I would have to be incredibly ignorant of the world to not know what humans are capable of. I didn't want to think about what could happen to me.

"In the real world…" I heard Ashton murmur, his voice incredibly soft. I frowned at him. Why was he just repeating everything like that?

"Whatever the case," Barnaby said, raising his cup to his lips. "We have to be careful…"

Barnaby tilted his cup, intent on taking a sip of his now cold coffee, but before he could, Ashton suddenly lashed out. "No, don't!" he cried, smacking the mug from Barnaby's hand, the porcelain cup shattering across the floor.

"Ashton!" Barnaby exclaimed, both confused and angry. "What the hell…" Barnaby's shout trailed off into silence as Ashton suddenly started coughing violently.

"Ashton!" I shouted, rushing to his side. "Are you okay?!"

The only response I got was a particularly vicious cough. The other patrons of the café had once more turned their attention towards us, but I paid them little mind. Ashton brought his hand to his mouth in attempt to stifle his coughs but it did nothing. He pulled his hand away and I forgot how to breath when I saw a dark red substance coating his palm.

"Don't…drink…" Ashton choked out, his words beginning to slur.

"Ashton!" I shouted as the dark-skinned male slumped over in his seat and fell to the floor. Both myself and Barnaby were at his side in an instant.

"Someone, call an ambulance!" Barnaby roared at the crowd of people that had formed around us, curious as to what was happening.

"Ashton? Come on, stay with us," I said, shaking his arm in a futile attempt to get the sophomore to get back up. "Help is on the way, just hold on!"

-Rise of the Dragon-

A suffocating silence hung heavily over me and Barnaby as we waited in St. Avarna Hospital's lobby. Blessedly, the paramedics had arrived swiftly and were quick to rush the sophomore to the hospital. They allowed both Barnaby and myself to ride along, something about answering some questions, but I didn't pay much attention. All I could focus on was Ashton's still and rapidly paling form.

The moment we reached the hospital, we were greeted by a full medical staff who rushed Ashton to the ER without so much as a backwards glance towards me and Barnaby. Barnaby and I followed along, but we were banned from following the doctors into the ER and were resigned to remain in the large lobby, waiting for any word on out friend.

That was almost three hours ago.

Crippling worry ravaged my insides. I couldn't for the life of me comprehend how or why this was happening. Ashton had been fine just minutes before he suddenly keeled over. It was just so…sudden. No one was able to react until Ashton was already coughing up blood. Different outcomes of Ashton's fate ran through my mind, each more horrible than the last.

Glancing up, I noted that one of the doctors that had been with the group that had taken Ashton was conversing with a police officer. From where I was, I couldn't make out what they were saying, but I did see the doctor gesture towards me and Barnaby once or twice. The officer nodded at the doctor's words before walking towards us, their expression grim.

The officer, a woman with tan skin, dark blue eyes, and long, blonde hair pulled into a ponytail, stood before us. She pulled her painted lips into a small smile, most likely a tactic officers used to engage with minors, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Hello," she said. Even her voice sounded strained and fake. "I'm Officer Milgram. Is it alright if I ask you a few questions?"

"Is Barnaby okay?" I blurted out, completely disregarding the officer's question.

Officer Milgram appeared to be taken aback for a second, before her training kicked in. "The doctors said he'll be fine," she reassured. "Now those questions…"

"But what happened to him?!" I all but demanded, my voice teetering on the edge of being frantic.

Officer Milgram's smile shifted into a stressed frowned. Even in my frazzled state, I could tell she was getting rather annoyed with me, but I couldn't find it in me to care too much. I was far to worried about my friend. The police officer opened her mouth, most likely to tell me to calm down, but Barnaby beat her to it.

"I apologize for my friend's rudeness," he said smoothly, placing a hand on my shoulder in what most would see as a comforting matter. "He is understandably upset given the circumstances." I gave Barnaby an incredulous look, about to demand what the hell he was doing, but paused when I saw the stern look the blonde was giving me, silently telling me to be quiet. "We will gladly answer your questions, Ma'am."

A look of relief crossed over the officer's face. "Good," she said, her smile once more returning. "Now then, you both were with the victim at the café when the incident occurred, correct?"

"Victim?" I repeated in alarm.

"Mr. Calloway," the officer corrected hastily.

"Yes, we were with him at the time," Barnaby answered before I could respond.

"And was Mr. Calloway acting unusual before the incident?" Officer Milgram continued.

"No," Barnaby responded. "He acted as he normally does. No instances of fatigue, dizziness, or even coughing fits before the café."

"I see," Milgram said, writing in her notepad. "Has he been known to experience fits of coughing?"

Seriously? Why was she asking that? Wouldn't she have access to Ashton's medical files? She'd know if he did! Barnaby appeared to have the same thoughts as an almost imperceptible frown crossed his face. "No," Barnaby answered.

"Any moments of fatigue?"

"No. He's never showed any inclination that he had any kind of illness."

"Mhmm," Milgram hummed. She then looked up from her notes, her expression becoming solemn, "Does Ashton have any enemies that either of you know of?"

Alarm bells rang in my head at once. "Enemies?" I croaked out. "What do you mean by enemies?"

Officer Milgram winced. "I should have phrased that better," she berated herself. "What I meant was is there anyone that seemed to dislike Ashton."

"But why did you say it like that," I insisted. "Why would you even ask such a question unless…" I trailed off, my mind beginning to connect the dots. "Unless someone caused this…"

The second I said that, I knew it was the truth. Officer Milgram kept her expression schooled, but I could see the way her eyes narrowed and her body tense. "That is not what I was implying," she said, but I wasn't having it and, apparently, neither was Barnaby.

"I find that awfully hard to believe," Barnaby said coolly. "You are most likely already aware of Ashton's medical history, which of course would explain why you asked about Ashton acting out of the ordinary. You _know_ something about all this and I want to know what it is."

Officer Milgram regarded both of us for the longest time. She looked annoyed with how things had turned out. Eventually, she gave a resigned sigh, fixing us both with a tired glare. "Fine. You want the truth? The truth is that your friend was poisoned."

I felt my entire being freeze. Had I heard her right? Poison? Was Ashton really poisoned? I mean, I figured what happened to him couldn't have been natural, but hearing that someone had poisoned him…

It was surreal.

"The doctors managed to pump his stomach and rid all traces of the poison from his system," Officer Milgram explained. "He is expected to make a full recovery and will most likely wake up some time tomorrow."

Relief flushed through me after hearing that Ashton would be okay. "H-How did it happen?" I managed to ask.

"Trace amounts of the substance was found in his mug from the café," Officer Milgram answered. "It was a lesser known strain, one that is incredibly dangerous. Had he not arrived here when he did, Ashton Calloway would have died."

Would have died. Ashton…could have…died…

"I figured as much," Barnaby said grimly, causing me to look at him in shock. Despite his blank expression, his voice was trembling. "To think that someone would go out of their way to do something like this." He clenched his fists. "It's inexcusable."

"But how did they poison his cup?" I questioned. "The only way for someone to poison his cup is to do it behind the counter, out of sight from everyone, but, since we all ordered the same drink, it would be impossible for them to know just who would drink the poisoned cup. Unless the server was the one that poisoned it…"

"No, we've ruled them out for the time being," Officer Milgram said with a shake of her head. "As for how they knew which cup he'd take, well that's simple. All of your cups were poisoned."

I suddenly forgot how to breathe. All of the cups had been poisoned with? So…I could have ended up like Ashton. I could have…

"All of our cups had been tampered with?!" Barnaby asked, his body jerking forward, his eyes blown wide. He looked visibly unsettled, his entire composure shattered.

"That's correct," the officer replied. "Which is why, again, I have to ask, do any of you have any enemies. Enemies that would try to kill you?"

I shook my head, not trusting my voice. This had to be a dream. It just had to be. No one was trying to kill us. Ashton was fine and I would see him at school as soon as I woke up. All I had to do was wake up…

So why couldn't I wake up?

"As far as I'm aware, none of us are aware of anyone that fits that description," Barnaby said, sounding calm yet still disturbed at the same time. "Ashton is part of a rather prominent family. There is a chance that he was targeted because of that."

"We had the same thought," the officer sighed. "Regardless, our investigation has just started. We'll find out who caused this. Until then, be cautious. Whoever did this is still out there and they are dangerous, so be on guard. We have also contacted your guardians and informed them of the situation."

"Thank you, Ma'am," Barnaby said.

The officer nodded and turned to walk away. She only took a couple of steps before she paused and turned back around. "Stay safe." With those final words, the officer left the lobby, leaving myself and Barnaby alone in silence.

"This…this can't be happening," I muttered aloud, hardly paying attention to my surroundings. "How…? Who…?" I shook my head in disbelief. This was all just impossible.

"You know what this means, don't you?" Barnaby asked suddenly, causing me to look up at him.

"Huh?"

" _Advent's Fall_ is making their move," Barnaby replied solemnly.

I took me a second to fully understand what he was saying. "Wait, are you saying _Advent's Fall_ caused this?!" I exclaimed.

"Keep your voice down!" Barnaby hissed, casting a furtive glance around us. Thankfully, no one seemed to be paying us any mind.

"You can't be serious!" I said, though I did lower my voice.

"Deadly," Barnaby replied. "Think about it, Cadmus. Ashton said it himself, this guild is fixated on us for whatever reason and there's no telling just how far they'll go to eliminate us. I just didn't think they would resort to attacking us in real life."

"B-But…" My mind stuttered, trying to understand the situation. "I thought they only knew about me! Why would they go after…?" I trailed off, the horrible realization coming to me. "I was the target."

"It most likely wasn't just you," Barnaby disagreed. "If they had just been targeting you, I highly doubt they would have poisoned all three mugs. I may not understand their justification for all this, but I can't imagine they'd risk killing three people when only one of them was a target. More likely than not, whoever tried to poison us knew the identity of at least another one of us. Probably Ashton, now that I think about it."

"Why Ashton?" I questioned.

"Honestly, Cadmus, use your brain," Barnaby chastised. "Surely you've noticed what's odd about his duel avatar."

"Well, yeah. It's the one he uses when he direct links," I said, recalling how he said he sealed away his duel avatar.

"Exactly and it's not like that avatar and his real body are that dissimilar," Barnaby pointed out. "If someone were to challenge him as 'Ivory Paladin' and encounter Ashton's avatar, it wouldn't be too difficult to realize just who he is."

"So, they tried to kill us with _poison_?" I just couldn't fathom why someone would do such a thing. For a _game_ of all things. "At least Ashton survived."

"Yes, he did," Barnaby said, though he didn't sound relieved. "However, this puts Ashton in a particularly dangerous position, and I'm not just mean his condition."

I tilted my head in confusion. What was Barnaby talking about?

"When the paramedics took Ashton, they didn't turn off his neuro linker," Barnaby explained gravely.

I frowned. Seriously? That was the 'big' thing he was worried about? The way Barnaby was talking made it seem like it was life threatening, but what did…having…his…neuro linker…on…

Realization hit me like a truck.

"He's still connected to the global net," I whispered. "He can still be challenged to duels."

"Exactly," Barnaby said with a nod. "Whoever Ashton's would-be assassin is, they most likely now of his survival. Seeing as he's in a heavily monitored and populated location, if this person is truly with _Advent's Fall_ , they will most likely take this time to drain Ashton of his burst points."

"We have to do something!" I said louder than I intended. "We can't just let Ashton lose Brain Burst!"

"I'm aware," Barnaby said. "However, staying and guarding Ashton is easier said than done. It's a school night after all."

"Are you kidding me?!" I nearly shouted. "You seriously think _school's_ more important that—" My rant was cut short by Barnaby covering my mouth with his hand.

"First off, calm down," he ordered. "You're making a scene. Second; I'm not saying that school's more important. What I _am_ saying is that it would look suspicious if we were to 'stand guard' over night and into tomorrow. Not only would the hospital staff question this but our families would be suspicious as well. I don't know about you, but my father would not tolerate me skipping school, even if I were to tell him that I was worried about a friend."

I winced, recalling how strict Barnaby's father was, but we couldn't just leave Ashton unattended…

"Then I'll stay," I said.

Barnaby blinked owlishly, honesty taken aback by my declaration. "Did you not hear me?" he demanded after his shock subsided. "Our families—"

"My sister is listed as my guardian," I interrupted. "Even if the school called her to tell her that I wasn't there, she wouldn't come. Not only is her college about two hours away, but, to her, her studies are too important to miss.

Barnaby looked at me for the longest time. I could practically see the gears turning in his head as he weighed the pros and cons of my suggestion. Eventually, he sighed in resignation. "Alright," he said reluctantly. "We'll do things your way, but be careful. If this person does decide to go after Ashton, there's no telling what they might do should they meet opposition."

Had this been any other time, I would have been stunned at the amount of worry and concern in the blonde's voice, but all I did was nod. Barnaby returned the gesture and stood. "Be careful," he said before exiting the hospital.

I hunkered down in the seat, trying to get comfortable. It was going to be a long night.

-Rise of the Dragon-

Another jaw breaking yawn tore through me. I was right when I said that it'd be a long night. The hospital staff had been reluctant to allow me to stay at first, but after a few crocodile tears and incredibly sentimental words, they relented. One of the nurses even brought me a blanket and a coffee.

Somehow, I was able to stay awake through the night, most likely due to how uncomfortable the chairs were. By sunrise, my eyelids felt like they were being weighed down by sandbags and my entire body felt like had gone through a wine presser. It had been a quiet night, with only a few people coming in and out, but when I accelerated, the only names on the 'Match Making List' were 'Platinum Dragon' and 'Ivory Paladin'.

Blearily, I rubbed my eyes glanced at the clock. 9'oclock. School had started about an hour ago. Chances were that the school had already contacted Phoebe, yet I hadn't gotten so much as a text from her. Come to think of it, she hadn't contacted me yesterday either. I was slightly disheartened by this, but I was too focused on my mission to really think about it.

I glanced around the room, taking note of the medical staff bustling around to get ready for the new day. My tired mind marveled at the sheer size of the lobby. It was probably 20' x 30', large enough to hold a substantial number of people. My gaze shifted to the closed doors that separated the lobby from the rest of the hospital. Don't worry Ashton, I won't let anyone get to you.

I jumped slightly as I heard the entrance door open. Turning towards the new arrival, expecting to see another random patron, I froze when I saw Phoebe of all people walk in.

Seriously?! She came in _person_?! I thought she'd maybe call me and give me the 'I'm-disappointed-in-you' talk. Never in a hundred years did I expect her to actually come here.

I sighed in resignation and slid out of my chair. I might as well get this over with. Hopefully I'd be able to come up with a valid reason for why I was here.

Why I was here…

Why…here…

Why was _she_ here?

I froze, my mind shaking off the cobwebs of fatigue. Her college was two hours away. Even if she had decided to come here in person, she wouldn't have been able to get here in under an hour. Not to mention she'd have no idea I was here in the first place. So that begged the question; why was she here? She couldn't be…

Phoebe, who had been glancing around the lobby, finally made eye contact with me. Surprise momentarily flickered across her face before her eyes narrowed. She opened her mouth to say something, but I was faster.

"Burst Link!"

Everything around me turned blue as my bipedal fox avatar was ejected out of my frozen body. Not missing a beat, I opened the 'Match Making List', praying I was wrong.

It can't be her. It just can't be her.

The list opened up in front of me, revealing the horrible truth. Under the names "Platinum Dragon' and 'Ivory Paladin' was another name. A name that I hoped I wouldn't see any time soon.

'Gold Valkyrie'.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Betrayal of Blood

Without a second thought, I selected Gold Valkyrie's name -my sister's name- and initiated a duel. I hardly paid attention as the frozen world fell away and changed, my mind frozen. Unable to accept the horrible truth. Vaguely, I noticed that the environment had become a much more worn and decrepit version of the hospital. The floor and walls were all cracked and in various stages of decay. The ceiling had caved in at places, revealing a smoke choked sky.

The familiar weight of my duel avatar's relatively bulky form settled over me, but the feeling of comfort that I got from being in such a powerful body was non-existent. All of my strength, the confidence that I had gained over my short time as a burst linker, it all left me at that moment.

Instead, I was a kid again. A small seven-year-old who could only stare helplessly up at my sister as she held me close, telling me how everything would be alright. Yet, as I slowly came back to myself, I was not staring at the rare, caring smile that warmed her entire face. Instead, was staring at the cold, metal visor of Gold Valkyrie.

"So, we meet again," Phoebe drawled. She would have sounded disinterested had I not noticed her grip on her spear tighten minutely. "I thought I told you to sever your ties with Knights of Dawn."

I didn't respond. Or rather, I _couldn't_ respond. I couldn't get my mouth to work properly. To form the words needed to ask-no, to _demand_ an explanation, but it felt like my throat was stuffed full of cotton. Any words I could even think of speaking were almost instantly smothered before they could even make it past my lips.

I can't believe I didn't see it before. The way she spoke, the way she held herself. It was her, it had to be her. Phoebe was Gold Valkyrie, she was working with Advent's Fall, and, worst of all…

She had tried to kill me.

"You should have heeded my warning," Phoebe continued, seemingly unconcerned by my silence. "Now, you will have to—"

"Phoebe," I managed to croak out, effectively silencing her tirade. Even without a face to look at, I could feel the shocked look on her face. She took half a step back before tensing.

"So, you figured it out," she said, her voice unnervingly calm. "I can't say I'm surprised. Even when you don't apply yourself, you always were incredibly perceptive."

There were so many things I wanted to say. I wanted to shout at her. To yell and scream at her, to vent all of the pain and fear that I had gone through in the past eight hours. I wanted to demand she tell me how she became a burst linker and what she was doing working with Advent's Fall. To understand why she was doing what she was doing, but I could only say one thing.

"Why?"

"'Why?'" she half-laughed. "Why what? Why am I a burst linker? Why I'm working with Advent's Fall?"

I swallowed thickly, words failing me at the moment. I could only nod, silently begging her for an explanation. I had to know. I had to understand why she was doing this!

Phoebe gave an exasperated sigh. She tilted her head up and began muttering under her breath, pacing back and forth in the ruined hall. "…not supposed to happen…complicated…worst outcome…" I caught a few words from her muttering, but I couldn't make any sense of it. Eventually, Phoebe ceased her pacing and turned back to me. Immediately, I had the feeling of being pinned by and intense glare.

"Why I'm here doesn't concern you," Phoebe said coldly.

If I had a mouth, I probably would have been gaping. Doesn't concern me? Doesn't concern _me_?! Immediately, anger coursed through me like a raging storm. "How the _hell_ does this _not_ concern me?! You literally _attacked_ me!"

"I warned you!" she hissed angrily. "I warned you to stay away from _Knights of Dawn_ , so you wouldn't get involved in all of this. So you wouldn't be involved with Ashton Calloway."

So, she _did_ know about Ashton. I filed that information away for later. "Well it's too late now!" I stretched my arms out, gesturing to the world around us. "I'm pretty sure I'm involved!"

"But you don't have to be!" Phoebe argued, sounding desperate. "There's still time for you to distance yourself from him and his guild."

"But why?!" I demanded. "Why do I have to distance myself from him. Why is Advent's Fall so hellbent on hurting Ashton?! What the hell is going on, Phoebe?!"

Phoebe's demeanor seemed to darken and I could practically feel her expression close off. "I told you, you don't have to concern yourself with these things. Now, step aside," she said far too calmly. My blood boiled.

"Don't have to concern myself-Phoebe! Do you hear yourself right now?!" I shrieked. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?! Ashton nearly _died_! You and your 'little buddies' _poisoned_ him!"

"He would have been fine," Phoebe said dismissively. "The poison was harmful, but it wouldn't kill him."

"Bull shit!" I roared. "If the doctors hadn't been able to pump his stomach in time, he would have—" The words got chocked up in my throat, but I refused to be silent. "He would have died…"

Phoebe was silent for a moment. "No…no that's not possible," Phoebe said. "The poison he used was non-lethal."

I frowned minutely. Was that uncertainty in her voice?

"He assured me that there would be no lasting damage," Phoebe continued, seemingly forgetting that I was there. "That poison shouldn't have done more keep Ashton unconscious long enough for me to drain his burst points."

"Believe me when I say whatever that crap was did more than just 'keep him unconscious'," I said bitterly.

Phoebe shook her head. "It was only supposed to be a sedative," she insisted. "He was supposed to fall unconscious randomly, causing those around him to panic and call for an ambulance."

"And, once admitted, he'd be easy picking for your guild," I snarled. "Is that how you justify murder? The poison wasn't _supposed_ to kill him? Is that how you justify almost killing…me?" I asked, my voice hardly above a whisper.

Phoebe took a step back, nearly dropping her weapon. "What?" she asked, sounding genuinely horrified.

I knew Phoebe. While she didn't wear her heart on her sleeve, whatever emotions she _did_ show were always authentic. She wasn't one to put on a mask of emotion to charm people. She was always upfront with people, telling them how she truly felt. She wasn't faking her shock. She really didn't know what happened.

"The officer said that they found traces of the same substance on all of our cups," I said.

"But it was just supposed to be Calloway…" Phoebe muttered. She shook her head, clearly confused. "That doesn't make sense…He told me it would only be Calloway…"

"Who's 'he'?" I asked. "Topaz Warlock?"

My voice seemed to jolt Phoebe back to reality. Even without having a visible face, I could see the way her body tensed up, a clear indication that she had schooled her emotions. "You don't need to concern yourself with that," she said monotonously.

"Are you kidding me?!" I roared. "They're using you, Phoebe!"

"And Calloway isn't doing the same?" Phoebe countered. "He is using you to reach his own goals, yes?"

"Yes, but he hasn't asked me to kill anyone!" I snapped accusingly.

I swore that her lance would break from how tight Phoebe was gripping it. "I told you before, that wasn't supposed to happen."

"And that makes it okay?!"

"I will do what is asked of me."

"Even at the cost of other people's lives? At the cost of _my_ life?"

"You would have been fine if you had listened to me and distanced yourself from Ashton and his guild!" she shouted, her anger seeping through her mask.

"So, _I'm_ to blame for almost getting killed?!" I asked incredulously.

Phoebe gave a sound that was halfway between a growl and a shriek. "I don't have time to argue with you, Cadmus."

"Really?" I exclaimed, a bitter laugh escaping me. "I'd say we've got all the time in the world here!"

"Get out of my way, Cadmus," Phoebe demanded, suddenly cold. "I don't have time for you right now."

I ignored the stab of hurt that shot through me and steeled my nerve. "No."

Phoebe froze, her entire being screaming 'surprise. At the same moment, I felt a ball of dread form in the pit of my stomach. If there was one rule that Phoebe enforced above all others, it was to always do what she asked without question. Saying no to her was a death sentence.

"What was that?" Phoebe asked, the underlining danger in her tone cause an involuntary shiver to run down my spine.

I winced, years of conditioning screaming at me to apologize and comply to Phoebe's demands, but I held firm. "I said no."

Phoebe's stance shifted almost imperceivably. Her left foot shifted outward while her right slowly slid backwards in preparation to launch herself forward. She raised her lance ever so slightly so that it hovered an inch or two above the ground.

"I won't ask you again, Cadmus," Phoebe said, her patience clearly reaching its end. "Step. Aside."

It felt like I had swallowed an iron weight. "No. I won't let you hurt Ashton."

Phoebe inhaled sharply. "So be it," she whispered, raising her lance so that it was pointing directly at me. "If you won't stand aside, then I will make you."

I tensed, my body slipping into the basic fighting stance that Barnaby taught me. I didn't want to do it. God knows I didn't want to fight her, but I had to. For Ashton.

With that last thought, I steeled nerve and rushed forward, my claws bared to strike my sister.

As expected, Phoebe blocked my attack, bringing up her lance catch my hand before my claws could reach her. I struggled against he, pressing down on her weapon with all my weight. To my delight, I appeared to be stronger than her as she visibly struggled to keep me at bay. A strained, yet clearly displeased, grunt before the lance was no longer in my grasp. With nothing to hold up my weight, I stumbled, nearly falling flat on my face. Before I could fully recover my balance, Phoebe had smashed the base of her lance against my temple.

Dazed and hurting, I collapsed to the ground, my vision momentarily swimming from the hit. The moment my vision returned, I was forced to roll out of the way as Phoebe's lance came down upon the place I had just been.

Scrambling to my feet, I attempted another strike, a straight punch to her unprotected side, but Phoebe was too fast. She leaned to the side, causing my arm to overextend, before kicking me in my chest. The kick didn't do much in terms of actual damage to my health bar, though it did cause me to stumble back slightly. The following slash from Phoebe's lance, however, did considerably more damage.

Wincing in pain, I still refused to back down. My mind was desperately working on some semblance of a plan. She was incredibly fast, something I knew all too well from our first fight, but that didn't make her unbeatable. I just had to fight smart.

She wasn't the first speedy enemy that I've encountered. They were tricky to hit, but, like in normal video games, the trade-off was typically in the form of weaker attacks. Because of this, speed-based characters had to rely on dealing a multitude of hits to whittle down an opponent's health. Gold Valkyrie was no different.

While her attacks were fully capable of doing quite a bit of damage, they weren't really as devastating as an attack from Turquoise Sentinel. Thinking back on it, during our first fight, Phoebe always kept me at a distance, skirting around my attacks and blindsiding me with a swift flurry of her own. It was a difficult strategy to overcome, especially with her ability to keep me at bay with her weapon.

Lances, by nature were mid-range weapons designed to pierce through armor while simultaneously keeping an opponent at bay. However, this made them lances all but impractical at close-range as one wouldn't be able to get enough thrusting power to do serious damage. Phoebe's lance, while not the typical shape and design of the more European style weapon, worked along a similar principle. In order to do the most damage, she would need room to swing and thrust her weapon.

My best bet would be to stay as close as possible to keep her from using her weapon to it's fullest, but she wasn't making it easy for me to do so.

Phoebe seemed to realize what I was planning in an instant and tried to put enough distance between us so she could use her weapon effectively. I stayed on her the best I could, an incredibly risky tactic as she would thrust her weapon at me whenever I got too close. I almost always avoided her attacks and immediately moved again, refusing to give her any breathing room.

This cat-and-mouse game lasted for almost a full minute and I could tell Phoebe was getting frustrated. Her attacks were becoming more and more sloppy, slowly changing from her aimed strikes to seemingly random thrusts of her lance. Eventually, after such a thrust, I managed to grab onto her lance, just below the spearhead. Surprised, Phoebe was blindsided by my fist impacting against her face.

I was just as stunned as she was. I had hit her. I had hit Gold Valkyrie.

Oh shit. I just hit my sister!

Phoebe wrenched her weapon from my grip with a surprising amount of force. I could feel the anger and indignation coming from Phoebe, her blank, metallic mask almost darkening under her fury. A dull red glow began to encompass the tip of her lance. Before I could comprehend what was happening, a dark, burgundy flame erupted along the glowing area. Wordlessly, she brought her now burning weapon back until the tip was next to her breastplate, the lance parallel to the ground. It was only at her enraged shriek that I recovered from my stupor in time to realize that her weapon was racing towards my face.

Time seemed to slow as the burning weapon inched closer and closer to me. Instinctively, I recoiled away, leaning back to avoid the attack. As the lance head inched closer, the fire surrounding it burst forth, extending the lance's reach. The flames missed my face by millimeters, but sheered off the horn on the right side of my head.

I cried out in pain, the searing heat of Phoebe's weapon leaving the stub on my head white hot. Fueled by pain, I ducked under the still burning lance and slashed at Phoebe's chest. Sparks flew as my claws raked across her stomach, causing my sister to cry out in pain before jumping back, the flames surrounding her weapon dispersing as she did so. I didn't follow this time, instead choosing to use that time to catch my breath.

We both stared at one another. Neither of us speaking. The only sound coming from the ever-counting-down timer above us and my own ragged pants. Phoebe appeared a little worse for wear. She had a few scratches, most notably the fresh set of claw marks that I had just left across her stomach just moments ago, but she looked relatively unharmed if her health bar, which was still sitting well over half, was anything to go by. Glancing up to my own health, I saw that I was sitting just a little way past half health. I was losing, but it wasn't as one sided as last time.

"This is pointless, Cadmus!" Phoebe called, a noticeable edge of annoyance in her voice. "You can't beat me! Just give up!"

"Not happening, Phoebe!" I replied, pushing past the fatigue and pain to bring my arms up once more. "I won't let you do this!"

Frustration seemed to come from the gold colored avatar in waves. Gripping her lance tightly, she seemed to grow solemn. "So be it." Before I could respond, Phoebe was already in front of me. Eyes widening in surprise, I tried to jump back, but Phoebe was already in the process of pushing her weapon towards my stomach.

A chocked shout tore through my throat as her lance carved through my side. Due to my timely movement, her weapon hadn't pierced through my chest like it had intended to, but it had torn off a piece of my armored body.

Reeling in pain, and more than a little bit desperate, I unleashed my special attack, hoping to at least clip her with the beam before she could get away. Unfortunately, Phoebe was just too fast. Before my attack had even fully formed, she was already moving. The deadly beam of energy exploded from my maw, but there was no target in front of me other than the ground. The ground in front of me exploded, pieces of rubble flying in all directions. Cutting off the beam, I spun around to face Phoebe as she was coming in for another strike and unleashed another blast.

Just as the beam was about to hit, she suddenly changed direction, avoiding my second attack and skirting around me once more. Again and again I tried to hit Phoebe with _Platinum Roar_ , cutting it off and in rapid secession in an attempt to keep up with her speed, but it was all for naught. Phoebe was moving too fast for me to track.

My mind was in full panic mode. She was moving faster than before and I could no longer keep up. Currently, my special move was the only thing keeping Phoebe at bay but I wouldn't be able to keep it up for much longer. I needed a plan. I needed a plan. I needed—

My thoughts came to a crashing halt as, instead of dodging my special move, Phoebe suddenly charged straight into it. Flames once more erupted around her lance as she thrust it forward into my attack. To my horror, like she had done just two days prior, Phoebe's weapon cut through the beam like it was nothing. Cutting off my attack out of surprise, I was unable to stop the lance from piercing straight through my chest, right where my heart would be.

I gasped, both in shock and pain. Looking down, a sudden wave of nausea hit me as I stared at the lance resting firmly _in_ my chest, the other end poking out my back. The lance was still on fire, the flames biting fervently at my metal body, the game's pain dampeners keeping it from being overwhelming.

"It's over, Cadmus," Phoebe said, though it like she was speaking through water. "It's done."

My mind struggled to process what she was saying, but I could hardly hear her through the annoyingly loud beeping sound. My mind struggled to comprehend what the sound was until I realized it was the sound of my health bar depleting at a rapid pace, the still burning lance stuck in my stomach causing constant damage. My time was running out and I was out of options.

"You shouldn't have stood in my way, Cadmus," Phoebe continued on, speaking as calmly as if she were talking about the weather. Not at all like she was stabbing her brother in the heart. "I am sorry it had to end like this, but I have my orders and I will do what is necessary to complete them."

I struggled just to lift my head to meet Phoebe's eyes, but all I saw was the cold, golden faceplate of Gold Valkyrie. This wasn't my sister. My sister, for all her aloofness, was not heartless. She wasn't this…monster.

"Try to understand, Cadmus, I am doing this for your own good," she said, her voice a mockery of true sympathy. "I'm sorry for doing this to you, but it's for the best."

"I'm sorry too," I rasped out, shakily lifting my hand to grab onto hers. Emotion chocked my voice as I struggled to keep it together. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Imsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorry!"

"Cadmus," she said, her voice softening.

"I'm sorry," I whispered one final time before my avatar's mouth snapped open and I used the final bit of my special move gauge to unleash _Platinum Roar_ at point blank range. The tight grip I had on her hand keeping her from escaping.

-Rise of the Dragon-

I gasped loudly as I was suddenly shunted into my body. The ground spun underneath me and I would have fallen had I not been able to grab onto a nearby chair to steady myself.

I stayed there, kneeling on the floor, one hand on the plastic chair's armrest, for several seconds. I took slow, deliberate breaths, forcing my rapidly beating heart to return to a normal, steady beat. Shakily, I pushed myself to my feet.

I had lost.

It had been close, incredibly so. If I had fired my attack just a little sooner, I would have won. I lifted my head, my gaze finding my sister's.

Phoebe stared right back at me, eyes wide with shock. Slowly, her surprise morphed into anger, her steely blue eyes narrowing into a heated glare. I determinedly stared back at her, silently proclaiming that I wouldn't back down.

We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, neither one of us so much as blinking. Eventually, Phoebe's glare vanished, replaced by her cool, dismissive mask. Without so much as a single word to me, she spun around on her heel and marched out of the hospital.

I stared at the spot where she once stood for several seconds before collapsing to my knees, a broken sob escaping my throat. The hospital staff rushed to my side, alarmed that I had just collapsed seemingly for no reason. They tried to ascertain what was wrong, but there wasn't anything they could do.

There was no cure for a broken bond.

-Rise of the Dragon-

I sat silently next to Ashton's bed, allowing the older teen to digest what I had just told him. He had awoken just an hour after my confrontation with Gold Valkyrie. I hadn't been allowed to see him at first, that right had been reserved for Ashton's parents. I met the two of them briefly as they were leaving the hospital.

They seemed nice, or as nice as two concerned parents could be in such a situation. His father gave me a suspicious look when he saw me waiting to see his son, but his mother was welcoming. She expressed how happy she was that Ashton had such a loyal friend like me and thanked me over and over again for helping him at the café.

I tried to tell her that I didn't really do anything, but she would hear none of it. It was more than a little overwhelming, especially after what had just happened. Thankfully, Ashton seemed to notice my distress and was quick to divert his mother's attention.

Eventually, the two of them left, promising Ashton that they would see him later in the day. As soon as they left, Ashton instructed me to retrieve his direct wire connection cable from his bag and connected the two of us. I quickly informed him of Gold Valkyrie's identity and the plan that had led to Ashton being poisoned.

" _This is all very troubling news,_ " Ashton said.

" _Yeah,_ " I replied, wincing as even my mental voice cracked with emotion.

Ashton looked at me sympathetically. " _I am truly sorry about your sister, Cadmus. I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through right now._ " I didn't respond, forcing my thoughts to remain silent. Ashton sighed over the link. " _Cadmus…_ "

" _Can we…just not talk about it?_ " I interrupted. I couldn't. The hurt was too fresh. Ashton nodded mutely, his brown eyes simmering with what I could only assume to be pity. I cringed away at that. I didn't want pity. I didn't even want sympathy. I just wanted my sister…

" _Dark times are upon us, Cadmus,_ " Ashton said suddenly. " _I never could have imagined that things would turn out the way they have. Had I known the direction in which these events would take place, I would never have brought you into the fold. For that, I am truly sorry._ "

" _There's no use worrying about it now,_ " I replied, a tad of exasperation coloring my voice.

" _Very true,_ " Ashton said. He sat up in his bed, his expression becoming grin. " _I'm sending you, as well as the rest of the guild, a set of coordinates for the Unlimited Neutral Field,_ " he said, fiddling with a tab through his neuro linker. A second later, my own neuro linker pinged, indicating that I had a notification. " _Be there at 7:30 tonight._ "

" _What's going on there?_ " I asked curiously, opening the notification.

" _A council,_ " Ashton replied grimly. " _It's time to for me to address the other members._ "

-Rise of the Dragon-

When I arrived to the location, I could immediately tell this meeting wouldn't be like his first introduction to the group. The location, I'm not a hundred percent sure as to where it translated to in the real world, but whatever it was it appeared to be a large, table-like altar of sorts in the middle of thirteen spires. Currently, the transition of the field was currently that of some kind of mountainous area, making the altar and spires appear to be made from dark stone. Oddly fitting considering the mood of the group.

A somber air seemed to hang over those assembled. Even the twins Gemini twins weren't their normal over enthusiastic selves. Everyone just stood around the 'table', unmoving and silent. Barnaby was there, unlike last time, and greeted me with a small nod of acknowledgment. That was the only greeting I got from the group.

Taking a place beside Barnaby, I took a moment to observe the group. I blinked slowly. The group seemed larger than last time. No, it was definitely larger. Larger by two people to be accurate. There were two members that I didn't recognize standing among us.

The first figure, a female if I wasn't mistaken, looked like a bipedal shark of all things. Her head was that of a bull shark head, rows of sharp teeth welded together in the parody of a severe smile. Her body was a deep blue in color with lighter blue, almost real, highlights running down her biceps, inner thighs, and chest area. Along her forearms were matching, razor-sharp fins, that extended just past her elbows and jutted out nearly a foot. On her back was an equally sharp dorsal fin. A rather long shark tail swung lazily behind her.

The second figure stood, or rather _floated_ , next to the shark-like duel avatar. They, because I honestly wasn't sure what they were, floated in the air, legs crossed underneath them as if they were sitting on the ground. Their primary color seemed to be a dark yellow almost bronze color with their chest and legs, which were stylized to mimic a shaolin monk's garb, being a burnt orange color. Around their next hung a red, oversized, bead necklace and a large, straw colored, mushroom-like hat reminiscent of those samurai are always depicted to wearing when not in armor (a kasa if that documentary I saw a couple weeks ago was true) on their head. A singular blue eye rested in the middle of their face.

I was about to ask Barnaby who the two of them were when the sound of encroaching footsteps reached our ears. I turned towards the source and saw Ashton approaching, still in his normal network avatar, though he did have a rather ornate masquerade mask over his eyes. It was odd, seeing someone with a human appearance walking around when everyone else looked like a robot, but no one else seemed to think that this was odd.

Calmly, Ashton approached the table, his expression unreadable. "Thank you all for coming out at such short notice," he said as he came to a stop before us.

"What's the big idea calling us all like this, Paladin?!" the shark-like burst linker demanded harshly, crossing her arms across her chest. "I've got crap to do!"

"Perhaps if you would remain silent, he would tell you, Navy Shark" the floating burst linker commented, sounding more than a little exasperated, like they've been saying the same thing over and over again. "Honestly, think before you speak."

"What was that?!" the now named Navy Shark snapped, whirling towards the monk-esk burst linker.

"I don't believe I stuttered," they commented dourly, seemingly rolling their eye.

Navy Shark looked like she was about to say something but a cacophonous gunshot interrupted her, and served to give me a minor heart attack. Cherry Marksman stood impassively, her gun raised in the air, a trail of smoke curling from its barrel.

"How about we don't start another argument. There are obviously more pressing matters at hand," Cherry Marksman said dryly, eyeing her two guildmates. When she was sure that neither burst linker would comment, Cherry Marksman lowered her gone and nodded towards Ashton.

"Thank you, Cherry Marksman," he said, giving the red colored burst linker a grateful nod "There is indeed a reason as to why I called you all here. While I would have liked for everyone to be here, I am grateful that you all were able to come."

He glanced around at all of us, his expression becoming grim. "The situation pertaining to _Advent's Fall_ has advanced far beyond what I expected. Yesterday, I was attacked. In the real world."

The effect was immediate.

"Are you serious?!" Honey Spider practically shrieked. Others too expressed their own disbelief and alarm. In a matter of moments, the entire group had devolved into a series of shouts and exclamations.

"They actually went after one of us in real life?!" Navy Shark openly gaped.

"Unreal!" Pine Gemini shouted.

"No way!" Aqua Gemini exclaimed.

"To think that they would go so far," Burgundy Arrow growled angrily.

"Someone really went after you in real life?" Fuchsia Thorn asked, fear edging into their voice.

Ashton turned to the rose-themed burst linker, his expression softening. "I'm afraid so," he said. "One of their members poisoned me and I would have died had it not been for Turquoise Sentinel and Platinum Dragon. What's more, as I was in the hospital, _Advent's Fall_ sent one of their own to repeatedly challenge me and drain me of my burst points. Had it not been for Platinum Dragon, they would have succeeded."

I felt the eyes of everyone save Barnaby fall on me. Not only had Ashton put the two of us in the spotlight but, by mentioning that we had in fact saved, he showed that he trusted the two of us immensely. Enough to divulge his true identity, an unspoken taboo among burst linkers. My guess was that Ashton said this in order to get the group to trust me, as I was the newest member of the guild, but not all of them were convinced.

" _You_ held off a burst linker sent by _Advent's Fall_?" the monk-like burst linker asked, suspicion coloring their voice.

"I did," I said, meeting the monk's intense stare.

The monk was unimpressed. "If they were seeking to end Ivory Paladin's career as a burst linker, they would have most likely sent someone that could have handled him should he awake before the job was completed. If memory serves, you are the most recent addition to this guild, meaning you are most likely the lowest level out of all of us. That being said, I find it rather difficult to believe that you _defeated_ someone sent to beat our leader."

"Is there something you're trying to say, Amber Sage?" Ashton asked, a slight twitch of his jaw was the only sign of the dark-skinned boy's annoyance.

"I'm just saying that it's rather…convenient that rookie was able to take down an assassin sent after _you_ of all people, Paladin," Amber Sage said, raising their hands in a placating gesture, though the accusation in their voice did little to placate Ashton.

"I don't think I like what you're implying," Ashton said, his voice dipping into dangerous levels. "I personally gave Platinum Dragon the Brain Burst program, so if you are insinuating that he is in anyway affiliated with _Advent's Fall_ , I find that incredibly hard to believe."

Silence fell over the group. The relationship between a parent burst linker and their 'child' was sacred. To go against the one that brought you into the fold was worse than taking all of a level one's burst points. By making it known that he was my parent, Ashton essentially deified me in the eyes of the guild, cementing the fact that I would never do anything to harm him.

Amber Sage's seemed to scowl. "That doesn't mean that—"

" _Enough_!" Barnaby snapped. "Platinum Dragon has nothing to prove to you. He has Ivory Paladin's trust and that's enough for me."

I blinked owlishly. I never thought I'd see the day where Barnaby of al people would stand up for me. His words had the desired effect as murmurs of ascent rippled through the group. All doubts about my authenticity brought up by Amber Sage dispersed as if they never existed in the first place. The yellow color burst linker looked put out, and I honestly thought they'd argue, but they remained silent.

"Thank you," Ashton said to Barnaby, nodding in appreciation. "As I was saying, the situation regarding _Advent's Fall_ has changed. I'm not sure why they are fixated on our guild or why they chose to attack me like they did, but they've crossed a line. No longer will we just stand passively by. It's time to act."

"Act? What do you mean by that?" Fuchsia Thorn questioned.

Ashton closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Without responding, Ashton brought up his arm and seemed to open a tab. He fiddled with whatever it was for several seconds before his entire form erupted in a bright white light. We all were forced to look away as the light became blinding. When it finally died down, Ashton's avatar was gone. His duel avatar having took his place.

Standing there, almost six feet tall, was a knight. Their armor was a pristine white with gold accents stylized throughout like vines of ivy, encompassing their joints and chest. Their helmet consisted of an opaque visor that blended in with the rest of the armor, several swirls of golden ivy trailing along its surface, their mouth a steel gray and shaped like a human mouth. A long white cape with a cobalt lining flowed behind them, fluttering in the non-existent wind.

The knight, no, _Ivory Paladin_ raised his hand and summoned an equally white greatsword. Ivory Paladin stabbed the blade into the ground, resting both of his hands on the hilt of his weapon in a regal pose. "Now," he finally spoke, his very voice speaking of power and strength, "we fight back."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The Request

"Are you sure there's nothing going on?" I asked again.

"Yes _. I'm sure,_ " Ashton replied, his exasperation clear even through the slightly fuzzy feed of the video call.

Not bothering to withhold a groan, I sunk further into my couch. This isn't exactly what I had imagined I'd be doing after Ashton had made his declaration last month. I still dueled other burst linkers and trained in the Unlimited Neutral Field, always with at least one other members of the guild for safety reasons, but that was it. There was no going out and fighting members of _Advent's Fall_ or anything involving the guild.

Ashton would always say that there was nothing for me to do or that they still didn't have enough information on the guild, but I knew that wasn't completely true. I'd have to be an idiot not to notice the 'covert' messages Ashton was sending Barnaby or how they would periodically meet up without me. Either they were in some kind of relationship or they were meeting as burst linkers.

They were purposefully keeping me out of the loop. _Ashton_ was keeping me out of the loop.

It hurt. A lot. I don't know if he though I was weak or inexperienced or if he just didn't trust me enough to confer with me the details of his plan, but the fact that he was keeping me from all of this made me feel unwanted. I mean, Ashton said he gave me Brain Burst because he thought I would be a valuable asset to his guild, but it didn't feel like it.

It was like before; back before I had assured myself of where I stood with Cecil and Barnaby. I was the odd one out. A third-wheel. A simple place holder brought along to because the others felt sorry for them.

" _There's nothing to be done,_ " Ashton said, taking my deteriorating mood as boredom. " _We have very little information on_ Advent's Fall _and even less about their goals. We've exhausted many different avenues in order to gather more information but we have gained very little in terms of information._ "

"But it's been a month!" I exclaimed (I did NOT whine). "Hasn't there been anything?"

Ashton hesitated. It was only for a fraction of a second, but I noticed the slight twitch of his mouth as if he were about to say something but thought better of it. " _Nothing that truly helps us, unfortunately. We've tried to reach out to other guilds, to see if they've heard anything about_ Advent's Fall _, but it appears that they have kept to themselves, aside from the instances when they attacked us._ "

I struggled to keep my face neutral. There was clearly something else that was going. Once again, Ashton was keeping me in the dark. I didn't dare call him out on it, though. Chances were that it wouldn't change anything anyway, so why bother?

" _If you're so bored, why not get some more training in the Unlimited Neutral Field?_ " Ashton suggested. " _I'm sure the Gemini twins would be willing to accompany you. I can contact them if you'd like…_ "

There was another clear deflection tactic Ashton often used. He'd try and distract me with promise of training with members of the guild to get me to forget about my questions regarding _Advent's Fall_. Such tactics were especially obvious considering Ashton had scolded me about excessive training in the past.

"No. It's fine. I've got some homework I need to do," I lied, trying to keep the disappointment from my voice. I clearly failed as Ashton frowned at me, his eyes showing concern.

" _I'm sorry that there's not much for you to do,_ " he said. " _I assure you, as soon as we get more information, we will mobilize._ "

I had to hold back a derisive snort. Yeah right. Like he'd ever tell me anything.

" _Anyway, are you still doing okay? Are you still getting an allowance from…her?"_

I blinked, slightly surprised by the sudden change of subject. "Yeah. I'm fine. I still get a weekly deposit into my account."

That had actually come as a surprise. After my confrontation, and subsequent falling out with Phoebe, I expected-no, I had _known_ my weekly allowance to stop. I had even started looking for employers that were willing to hire a high schooler. I had to have some source of income if I wanted to survive on my own, if only it was enough for the bare necessities. I didn't even want to think about what I would do next year when I had to pay for school. So, imagine my surprise when, a week later, there was a deposit in my account.

I was confused at first. I recognized the account that had transferred the money as my sister's but I couldn't fathom why she would be supporting after our disastrous reunion. I had thought she'd cut me out of her life completely, casting me aside like a bad memory, but that clearly wasn't the case. I suppose it was more out of legal necessity, as it would look rather unbecoming of her to abandon her charge.

" _Cadmus? Are you alright?_ "

That's what I told myself anyway. It was better than holding onto the false hope that she actually cared about me.

" _Cadmus!_ "

I jumped slightly, my gaze focusing in on Ashton's concerned face. "Sorry about that. Just lost in thought."

Ashton frowned, not fully believing my words, but didn't press the issue. " _Well, if you're sure, I'll leave you to your homework._ "

"Thanks. See you tomorrow," I said. I closed the call and once more sunk into the cushions of the couch.

Now what? I didn't really feel up to anymore duels, being brushed aside by Ashton yet again had left a rather bitter taste in my mouth. I really didn't want to do anything, but, at the same time, I didn't want to just sit around and do nothing. What a conundrum…

I was pulled out of my mental crisis by a sudden knock at my door. I glanced at the door with a frown. I wasn't expecting anyone today. Mailboxes were on the ground floor of the complex so it wasn't the mailman. Plus, it was a Sunday and there was no mail on Sundays.

The stray thought that it might be a member of _Advent's Fall_ coming after me crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed the thought as I got up and headed towards the door. A member of _Advent's Fall_ would be more likely to challenge me to a duel when I wasn't prepared or break into my apartment to attack me, which is well within the realm of possibilities considering they poisoned Ashton. Both options would keep my hypothetical assailant from running the risk of revealing themselves to me.

Even so, it was still odd that someone was knocking at my door. As far as I knew, the only people that knew where I lived were Ashton, Cecil, Barnaby, and Phoebe and I seriously doubted any of them would show up unannounced. My thoughts came to an end as I reached my door, just as the person behind it knocked again. This time much more forcibly. Mentally lamenting over the fact that my door lacked a peephole, I pulled it open and was met with a wall.

Okay, maybe a wall wasn't the best way to describe the person that was standing before me, but it wasn't inaccurate. The first thing I noticed about the person was there height. The person dwarfed me to the point where, upon opening my door, I just saw their chest. My eyes hadn't even attempted to travel to the person's face when I noticed the second striking thing about them: They were incredibly large.

Not large as in fat, mind you, but large as in absolutely ripped. Muscle stretched their clothes to the very limit, threatening to tear through the feeble fabric at a single flex of this person's massive arms. Speaking of their clothes, the person before me was incredibly well dressed, wearing an expensive looking purple button down and pressed black pants. A symbol that looked like some kind of bird was embroidered in gold thread over their shirt's pocket.

"Platinum Dragon?" a deep voice questioned, breaking me free of my stupor.

Slowly, my eyes traveled up the person's body to their face. They were male, if their strong angular jaw and large Adam's apple were anything to go off of. His skin was a shade darker than Ashton's and his hair was cut short on the top, the sides styled into a fade. Two dark brown eyes stared down at me with cold indifference.

"Platinum Dragon?" he repeated, his expression never changing.

I blinked. Once. Twice. Three times before my mind caught up to what he was saying. He called me Platinum Dragon. He knew who I was.

Realizing this, I did the only sensible thing. I closed the door and locked it.

With that done, I calmly walked back over to my couch and sat down. Taking a deep breath, I called Ashton. He answered on the third ring.

" _Cadmus? What's wrong?_ "

"Someone just came to my door asking for Platinum Dragon," I said, surprising myself by how calm I was.

" _What?!_ " Ashton demanded, eyes wide in surprise and horror. " _Are you okay?! They didn't try anything did they?!_ "

"No, I closed the door and locked it before they could do anything," I assured him. "What should I do no—?"

My questioned was drowned out by sound of splintering wood. Jumping to my feet and whirling around, I stared in abject horror as the massive wall of a man pushed open my door in. A door that opened _outward_. A door that I had most assuredly locked.

" _Cadmus? Cadmus?! What was that?!_ " Ashton was shouting at me, but I could hardly hear him. My focus was entirely on the mountain of a man that was staring at me with cold eyes.

"I don't have time for games, boy," the man growled.

Before I could respond, I felt everything freeze before I was forcibly accelerated.

-Rise of the Dragon-

I stumbled under my own weight, startled by the sudden change. Forcing myself out of my stupor, I took stock of my surroundings as to not be blindsided by my enemy. My apartment had changed from a moderately well-furnished living space to a run-down and decaying wreck. Mold had eaten through portion of the floor, leaving a gaping chasm that went straight down several floors. Large cracks spanned the walls, leading to a large hole where my window used to be. Looking out, I saw that the entire neighborhood was in a similar state, giving the area a post-apocalyptic feel to it.

My attention was soon diverted from the landscape by the sound of heavy, _heavy_ footfalls. Turning back towards the chasm, I gave a startled yelp as a massive green shape burst out of the opening, shaking the ground as they landed. The already weakened floor creaked and groaned ominously, threatening to buckle under the new weight, but appeared to hold up well enough.

Looking up at my foe, I blanched at the sheer size difference between us. The figure towered over me by almost two feet, their bulky body casting a wide shadow over me. They were completely decked out in heavy looking, green plate armor. Wicked spikes jutted out from their rectangular pauldrons as wells as from his knee and elbow guards. Their head was cylindrical in shape, the top most portion shaped like that of a chess piece. A rook to be specific. Two glowing yellow eyes stared at me through the barred slit in their helmet.

If my duel avatar could sweat, I'd be doing so in buckets. If this burst linker's size wasn't daunting enough, the incredibly large war hammer that they wielded, which was almost the same size as me mind you, did the job. Chancing a glance at our names, I quickly noted their own, _Emerald Rook_. Fitting considering the shape of their head, but now wasn't the time for jokes. I had to figure out how not to get crushed by their weapon.

I was still staring at the figure when I voice cut through the silence. "Ah, so it is you. I thought as much."

For a split second, I was dumbfounded. The voice that had just spoke was incredibly high pitched and slightly shrill, not at all what I expected from a massive figure like Emerald Rook. In the following second, I realized the voice hadn't in fact come from the hulking figure, but from the doorway.

Standing there in what used to be my doorway, was another figure that was vastly different from the one in front of me. They were female, if their duel avatar was anything to go off of, and were entirely pink. Their armor, if it could be called that, was a darker pink and was stylized in such a way that it looked like a Victorian ball-gown, complete with frill-like edges and wide sleeves. Their face was a shade lighter and was completely smooth save for two, blue, gem-like eyes. Her 'hair' reached the small of her back and was even lighter than her face, almost appearing white. A rather tall tiara rested atop her head, several blue crystals adorning it.

Seeing that she had my attention, she giggled, bringing her left hand to where her mouth would have been as if she were trying to stifle the sound. In her other hand, she twirled what looked to be a closed, light pink umbrella with a scarily sharp ferrule. Her blue eyes seemed to sparkle with a mischievous glint, sending a foreboding chill down my spine.

"Who are you?" I demanded, sounding far more confident than I felt. The pink figure clearly had to be a spectator since her name didn't appear with Emerald Rook's, but what was she doing so close to the actual battle?

The pink figure giggled again, the almost grating sound doing nothing for my anxiousness. "My name is Pink Princess…" My mind shut off the second she said her name. _Pink Princess_?! Was she serious? What kind of name was that?! I had to actually bite my lip, or rather _mentally_ bite my lip, to keep myself from laughing. As I struggled to keep my laughter in check, I realized that she was still talking and forced myself to pay attention. "…and, due to your initial reluctance, I deemed it necessary to use force. Rook, if you would be so kind."

"Understood," Emerald Rook finally spoke, their voice a deep base.

It took my mind a painfully long second to comprehend what was just said and, by the time I realized it, it was too late. Before I could fully react, had already swung their hammer at me. I had just enough time to bring up my arms in front of me before the heavy weapon slammed into me.

Pain exploded across my arms and chest from the blow. Had I been in a human body, I was sure both of my arms would have been shattered and my ribs would have been caved in. Caught up in my pain, I didn't even realize that my feet had left the ground until the pain dampeners kicked in and I noticed that I was flying through the air.

I blinked, both shocked and in awe by the weightless feeling I was experiencing. It was odd, unlike anything I had ever experienced, the closest thing being when I had fallen off the monkey bars as a kid. Had I not been in such a state of shock, I might have found the sensation soothing. The sensation, however, was short-lived as my back slammed into unforgiving stone.

I coughed and wheezed, the feeling of air being forcibly ejected from my lungs, even if false, was never a pleasant sensation. I laid on the ground for several moments, trying to get my breathing back under control. With a low groan, I forced myself to my feet, pulling myself out of the crater I had created. Looking around at my surroundings, my metaphorical jaw hit the ground.

I wasn't on the ground like I had though, no, Emerald Rook had sent me flying out of the hole in my apartment's wall onto the roof of the building just next to it. That was over 20 _feet_ of open space that I cleared to get where I was. That was unreal!

Looking down at myself, I saw that my arms as well as my chest were heavily cracked and dented from where the hammer had hit me. My health bar, to my surprise, I saw that the hit, along with my landing, had done well over half my health. Good thing metal avatar's had resistance to bludgeoning type attacks or that might have just outright killed me. That being said, for just one hit to do so much damage was terrifying. If I wanted even the slightest chance of winning, I would have to avoid his hammer at all costs, which shouldn't be too hard, especially considering the distance that was now between…us…

That thought died in my head as, across from the building I was currently situated on, I saw a bright flash come from my apartment. I watched in awe as Emerald Rook _flew_ out of the hole, aided by what appeared to be rocket boosters on his feet. In a matter of seconds, the hulking duel avatar had reached the roof and landed in front of me in a crouch, the roof threatening to collapse under his weight.

Slowly, almost deliberately so, Emerald Rook raised himself to his full height, once more towering over me. A lump formed in my throat as I stared up at the imposing figure. He appeared lax enough, his hammer merely resting at his side, but I knew better than to let my guard down. Steeling my nerve, I lunged forward to attack, my claws bared to attack.

Emerald Rook didn't even try to avoid my first attack, allowing for my claws to rake against his chest, filling the air with sparks. He stood there unmoving, seemingly unfazed by my attack. Undeterred, I continued to claw at him, striking him like an enraged grizzly attacking its prey. Unfortunately, as I would notice, I was more like a kitten trying to claw at a rock to Emerald Rook.

As I stepped back, expecting my adversary to be reeling, I gaped at thin scratches I had left on his armor. Attacks that would normally rend through an enemy, had been reduced to light scratches by Emerald Rook's armor. Looking down, I was further horrified to find that my claws had actually dulled. I didn't need to look at his health bar to know that I had hardly done any damage.

I stepped back, fear beginning to creep into my heart. Emerald Rook didn't pursue, he just continued to stare at me impassively, something that I found even more terrifying than the prospect of him stalking towards me. It told me that I was beneath his notice, hardly even a threat that needed to be neutralized. I was insignificant. Harmless.

Anger speared through me at that thought. I hadn't come this far as a burst linker to be cast aside like some weakling! With renewed vigor, I planted my feet firmly on that ground, bracing myself for my special move. The familiar his of compressed air being released as my avatar's mouth snapped open reached my ears, my vision soon taking on a blue hue as energy began to coalesce in front of me.

As this happened, Emerald Rook still stood stock still, though his eyes seemed to narrow slightly. Further enraged at the prospect of being dismissed, I unleashed my attack with a primal roar. Chunks of the roof were torn from their purchase from the intensity of the beam, disintegrating after only a few moments of contact with my attack. The beam completely engulfed Emerald Rook in blinding blue light.

A certain level of satisfaction settled over me as I allowed my attack to die out seconds later, no longer able to sustain the beam. However, to my growing horror, as my attack died down, Emerald Rook remained where he was, looking no worse for wear save for a few scorch marks here and there. Looking at his health, I felt my heart drop as I saw he still had just over two thirds of his health left.

My attack had done practically nothing.

Emerald Rook tilted his head as if asking 'is that all?' And it was. He had tanked my strongest attack. I had nothing left.

Seemingly realizing this, Emerald Rook finally moved. In just two steps, he was standing directly in front of me. He raised his hammer high over his head, causing me to marvel at the sheer amount of strength my foe had to have possessed to lift such a weapon.

I couldn't move. I couldn't even try. My body and mind just wouldn't respond. I could only watch my impending demise.

On either side of the hammer's head, two small thrusters popped out of the compacted space, roaring to life as gravity began to take the hammer. With a single mighty swing, Emerald Rook brought his hammer down, crushing me entirely and erasing the remainder of my health.

-Rise of the Dragon-

With a gasp, I returned to my real body. I stumbled back, tripping as I did so and falling onto my rear. The towering man from before, who just had to be Emerald Rook, stood as impassively as ever. Staring down at me with cool mocha eyes.

"Well, I must say that attack of yours is just as devastating as the rumors say it is," a voice I recognized as Pink Princess' called out from my doorway. "Too bad it was no match for the defensive prowess of my Emerald Rook!"

Stepping into my apartment, was a girl about my age. She wore an elegant black skirt with silver trimming and a matching blouse. A symbol matching the man's rested over her heart. Her hair was blonde with pale pink streaks dyed throughout.

She giggled again, her ruby red lips stretching into a wide smirk as she eyed me with her hazel eyes. "Well then, now that that's out of the way, how about we all sit down and wait for Ivory Paladin to get here and we can all have a nice chat, hmm?"

-Rise of the Dragon-

Not five minutes later, I found myself seated at my dining room table with Ashton on my right and my two 'visitors' across from us. Ashton had arrived shortly after my call ended and, when he saw my unexpected guests, I could see a flicker of recognition spark within his eyes before his expression closed off. He calmly took a seat next to me and glared at the duo sitting across from me, not sparing me more than a glance. Pink Princess, or Victoria Song as she introduced herself, seemed oblivious to the tension in the room and daintily sipped her tea, that she made _me_ make.

"Ah! This is a rather good, Cadmus. I'd be more than happy to employ someone of your culinary skills," she said happily, completely ignoring the glare Ashton sent her way.

"Um…I just used teabags…" I said awkwardly. 'Employ'? Did that mean she was rich or something? Or did she own some kind of business?

"Hmm," she hummed, appearing to not have heard me. "My apologies for the door, by the way. I'll have it replaced by tomorrow," she added, certifying my theory that this girl was from money. She took another long, deliberately drawn out sip of tea, seemingly content with allowing the silence to continue.

"Why are you here, Victoria?" Ashton, on the other hand, was not.

"Always straight to the point, aren't you Ashton?" Victoria said rather dramatically. At Ashton's unimpressed glare, the pinkette sighed and set down her cup. "Fine. I'll get right to the point. I need your, as well as your guild's, help."

"And you thought attacking one of my members would be a good way to ask?" Ashton scoffed, surprising me with the amount of disdain in his voice. "Are you planning on threatening Cadmus here if we don't help you."

A cold bead of sweat rolled down the back of my neck. Being constantly hounded by the green juggernaut that had just demolished me minutes ago? I'd be out of burst points before the week was out! Victoria, however, seemed to find this funny.

"Oh, no. Nothing of the sort," she chuckled. "I simply saw it as a way to get your attention. That and…" Her hazel eyes swiveled over to me, locking me in place with an intense, almost hungry gaze. "…I wanted to see this _devastating_ attack of his."

I swallowed thickly. I had known that my _Platinum Roar_ had made me slightly (in)famous. If I had to be honest, I took pride in the fact that I was one of the stronger burst linkers in town. That feeling of pride, of course, was handedly crushed by Emerald Rook and his hammer. The attack that was capable of dropping someone with full health to zero, had done little to the green-type burst linker. If I were to take anything out of the encounter, it was a reminder that there were still many people stronger than me.

"Oh, don't feel too badly, darling. Emerald Rook has one of, if the not the best defense stat in Brain Burst," Victoria said, as if hearing my thoughts. "Had it been anyone else, I'm sure that beam of yours would have decimated them at such close range."

"Thank…you?" I said, a little uncertain.

"What do you want, Victoria," Ashton practically growled.

"I'm getting to that, hold you horses," Victoria chastised, a smug smirk playing on her lips as she heard Ashton grumble unintelligibly. Her face soon closed off, her expression becoming one of seriousness. "About twelve hours ago, one of my guild members was captured by _Advent's Fall_."

That got our attention. " _Advent's Fall_?! Seriously?!" I shouted.

Ashton leaned slightly across the table. "Explain."

Victoria nodded, her demeanor becoming somber. "During an outing the Unlimited Neutral Field, several of my members were ambushed by the guild known as _Advent's Fall_. Unprepared, they were defeated and their attackers made off with our main crafter, Slate Forge."

"Um, what's a crafter?" I asked, feeling that I was missing something.

Victoria opened her mouth to answer, but Ashton beat her to it. "It's a term given to burst linkers who focus on crafting Enhanced Armaments, a type of weapon or armor that can sometimes dropped by high level NPC's or made using the item drops from NPC's. My shield is such an item."

"An apt description," Victoria said, sounding slightly annoyed over being interrupted. "Yes, Slate Forge is one of the best crafters in the game. The stuff he makes is a cut above the rest, various guilds personally request his services. This makes it an especially devastating loss to my guild, _Dolhoon_. According to our intel, he is being forced to make Enhanced Armaments for _Advent's Fall_."

"But wait, you said that he's been with _Advent's Fall_ for twelve hours, right?" I asked. "Doesn't that mean…?"

"Yes, he's been stuck in Brain Burst for over a year," Victoria said grimly.

My eyes widened. "A whole year? He's been in there for an entire _year_?" Barnaby impressed upon me the detrimental effects of staying in the Unlimited Neutral Field for too long and the thought of losing my mind still terrified me. "How come you haven't tried to rescue him?!"

"We've tried!" Victoria snapped, suddenly raising her voice. I was surprised when I saw her eyes shine with unshed tears. " _Dollhoon_ isn't a 'fighting' guild. Sure, we've got some strong members, but we're primarily crafters. It's how we set up a neutral standing amongst the guilds in the area. We don't have the necessary manpower to launch a full-frontal assault against the guild." Her voice petered off to hardly a whisper by the end of her rant, her gaze falling to her tea cup. She then looked up at us, her eyes pleading.

"That's why I need your help," she said. "I've heard about your special move, Cadmus Markos. Your _Platinum Roar_ would be instrumental in infiltrating the guild's base of operation and rescuing our captured teammate. That's why I've come to you today. To plead for your help!"

Silence pervaded my apartment after Victoria's declaration. The weight of what she was asking me pressed down on me like a car, slowing crushing me with an overwhelming obligation to help. I mean, she was practically begging me to help her. How was I supposed to say no to that?!

"That's why you came after Cadmus?" Ashton suddenly spoke. "You wanted _his_ help. Not my guild's."

"I mean, any help would be appreciated, but yes, Cadmus was the priority," Victoria confessed. "I firmly believe that that attack of his is just the edge we need to rescue our guildmember."

"And why should he help you?" Ashton asked coldly. "What's in it for him? For us?"

"Ashton!" I exclaimed.

"Anything you want," Victoria responded immediately. "Money. Enhanced Armaments. We can even call in a few favors to some of the other guilds we supply items for. Anything you want. Just please, help us."

"You don't have to offer—" I tried to say, only for Ashton to interrupt.

"We accept. We'll work out the details of your debt at a later date."

"That's fine!" Victoria said immediately, relief clear in her face.

"But Cadmus stays in the back," Ashton added. "He can attack from afar, but he won't be in the thick of the battle. Understood?"

"Yes, yes. That's fine!" Victoria readily agreed, sounding slightly impatient.

"Good. Then give me a few minutes to contact my guild to see who can help."

"Thank you," Victoria said gratefully, rising to her feet. "I will send you the location as well as a meeting place for the real world. Come, Arthur."

The large man, who had been silent throughout their conversation, stood up, following the pinkette to my broken door. Once Victoria exited, the man, Arthur, glanced back at us before following the younger women.

Waiting a few seconds to make sure that they were gone, I whirled around to Ashton. "What the hell was that?"

Ashton, who had been in the middle of composing a message, paused. "What do you mean?"

"That whole demanding compensation thing!" I hissed, more than a little annoyed. "I mean, sure a reward would be nice, but shouldn't we be trying to help this person regardless?"

"We are going to be entering a potentially—no, a dangerous environment. I won't risk my guild's safety for nothing," he replied rather coldly.

"And what's the deal with wanting to keep me in the back?" I continued. "I get that I'm still relatively new to Brain Burst, but I'm still a good fighter. I can handle myself!"

"As I said, we will be entering a dangerous area. There's no telling what could happen. As such, I want you in the back just in case."

"But—"

"Look, Cadmus, I understand where you're coming from, but this isn't the time. We'll discuss this more at another time."

With that, Ashton rose from his seat and walked to the next room, seemingly to finish his message in peace. I watched him go, silently fuming over my dismissal, but having no way to argue. All I could do was wait.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The Siege

It came as no surprise that Pink Princess would contact me and Ashton with a meeting location just an hour after her departure. Given how frantic she seemed when we spoke, I'm honestly surprised she waited _that_ long. Following the directions given to us, both myself and Ashton were standing in front of a large iron gate. On the other side of said gate, was a _literal_ freaking mansion.

"Is…Is this the place where we're supposed to meet?" I asked, blinking rapidly at the large building.

"This is the address she gave us," Ashton replied, sounding far too calm in my opinion.

"But it's a _mansion_!" I exclaimed. "Why would we be meeting here?!"

"The Song family is a rather prominent family with their ties to international trade. More than likely, this is their family home," Ashton pointed out. "It's honestly not that impressive. If I recall correctly, Barnaby's family home is just a little smaller than this one and your friend Cecil's home is large still."

"Seriously?!"

Ashton chuckled at my reaction before becoming serious. "Now's not the time for gawking. Slate Forge is in need of our assistance."

I frowned minutely. He was right. I could fawn over the luxuries that I could never have. Schooling my expression, I followed Ashton, who had begun to approach the gate. The dark-skinned sophomore pressed a button to the left of the gate by a speaker.

" _Hello?_ " A deep, gruff voice crackled over the intercom. " _Who's there? What business do you have here?_ "

"Victoria Song is expecting us," Ashton responded.

There was a brief pause. " _Alright,_ " the voice grunted, though they didn't sound particularly thrilled by the name. " _Come in_."

A great screech rang out as the gate began to slowly swing open. Without even glancing at me, Ashton immediately began to march towards the gate, forcing me to have to jog in order to catch up. We bypassed the beautiful gardens and - _holy crap, was that a fountain?!_ \- and reached the large, ornate, oaken doors, the familiar bird symbol that I had seen on both Emerald Rook and Pink Princess's clothes emblazoned across the wooden frame. The doors swung open before we reached the front step, revealing a grim, but smiling, Victoria Song.

"Good, you're here," she said. The pinkitte glanced around us as if searching for something. "You didn't bring anyone with you?"

"Only two of them were able to come at such short notice," Ashton replied. "They'll be meeting us at the Unlimited Neutral Field."

Pink Princess nodded before gesturing for us to enter. "Come. We will be meeting in the drawing room."

Ashton nodded his head in thanks before entering the house. I mimicked the action, believing it to be proper mannerisms when entering a noble's house, and received a bright snicker in return. I flushed minutely, but quickly forgot my embarrassment when I laid eyes on the foyer.

The room was spacious, more than three times the size of my entire apartment. The walls were plastered with elegant wallpaper of golden vines, or maybe the symbols were actually painted with incredible detail, either way, it was beautiful. A grand stair case spiraled upwards to an upper level that had to be even larger than the foyer. A large chandelier hung high overhead, sparkling crystals glinting in the bright light.

I was in awe. Just the foyer was like something out of a fairy tale. I could only image how immaculate the rest of the house was. I probably would have stood their standing open-mouthed like a fish out of water had a large hand not clapped down on my shoulder. Startled, I turned and gazed up at the dark brown eyes of Emerald Rook.

"Mistress doesn't like to be kept waiting," he said in a gruff voice.

Gulping, I looked around to see that both Ashton and Victoria had already disappeared. Blushing, I stuttered out a quick 'yes' and allowed myself to be ushered through the large halls.

We walked for a couple of minutes, not at all shocking considering the size of the place, passing numerous oil paintings, vases, and the like. It was such a stereotypical 'rich house' that it didn't seem real. As we walked, we passed by an open room, the television inside still on.

"… _this is the fourth cyber attack in the past week,_ " the reporter said. " _This marks the fifth incident this past month where an unexplained_ glitch _has caused momentary fault within a device's systems. While, initially, these occurrences were seen as unrelated happenings, the frequency in which they occurred has authorities suspecting foul play. This time, it appears that the attack was centered on the traffic lights at…_ "

"Please do not delay," Emerald Rook said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Sorry," I apologized, blushing hotly. I quickened my pace through the halls, the larger man following close behind me. Eventually, we came to a large, circular room contain large, expensive looking sofa and four plush armchairs, two of which were occupied.

"Well, you took your sweet time," Ashton said teasingly. "Did you enjoy Victoria's humble abode."

"Humble isn't exactly the word I'd use," I responded dryly, earning a sharp, bark of laughter from Ashton.

"Enough chit-chat," Victoria interrupted, frowning deeply. "Every second we waste is minutes that Slate Forge remains under the control of _Advent's Fall_."

Immediately, the humor died on Ashton's face. "Of course," he said, his voice solemn.

Victoria nodded, before glancing at me and gesturing to one of the remaining armchairs. Taking my cue, I sat next to Ashton, Emerald Rook taking the remaining seat. When all of us were seated, we all said the words.

"Burst Link!"

-Rise of the Dragon-

Ten minutes later, or rather ten minutes in the Unlimited Neutral Field, I stood at the peak of a hill overlooking _Advent's Fall's_ stronghold. With the current Transition, it looked like a typical moss-covered cave entrance. Or, rather it would have had it not been for the large metal doors and twin guards.

"Kindly don't get us spotted before the attack even starts, Dragon," the drawling voice of Amber Sage commented.

I turned to the floating burst linker, an unimpressed scowl on my face, not that he could see it. Since out first meeting, I never really liked the amber colored burst linker. He was like a more stuck up Barnaby, and that's saying something. He clearly disliked me for some unknown reason, but, after years of dealing with conceited pricks, I typically just ignored him. I did, however, follow his advice this one time and stepped down with the rest of the assembled burst linkers.

Aside from myself and Amber Monk, Cherry Marksman, Navy Shark, and Honey Spider had answered Ashton's call, joining Pink Princess's guild. Said guild, while outnumbering _Knights of Dawn_ five to one, didn't look as battle-ready as the rest of us. Sure, many of them seemed to have high-quality weapons and gear, most likely courtesy of Slate Forge, but just looking at them…

They were uneasy-no. That wasn't the right word. They were terrified. Not that I could blame them. While battling was a way of life for a burst linker, doing so in the Unlimited Neutral Field was very different. I still remembered the pain I felt when Brick Mortar sent me plummeting three stories down to the unforgiving ground. I'd like to think that I had built up a tolerance for the pain, but I'd be lying. It was pain. No matter how much you prepared for it, it still hurt, especially without the pain dampeners.

It was only natural that they'd feel at least some form of trepidation at the premise of pain. Yet, it also showed their bravery and loyalty to Slate Forge if they were willing to face pain for him. It was admirable to say the least.

"The time is now, _Dollhoon_!" Pink Princess suddenly cried, pulling everyone's attention towards her. "I know that we are not like other guilds. We fight, yes, but our skill resides in crafting and trading. We are not a fighting guild like many others. We aren't composed of high-level burst linkers with notable skills. No, we're not like other guilds, but that doesn't mean we will just stand idly by as one of our own is taken!"

The pink colored burst linker looked out over the assembled group, determination burning in her crystal-like eyes. "That guild, _Advent's Fall_ ," she spat the name out like it was poison, "has taken one of our own. Slate Forge, one of this guild's founding members, has been taken. Taken right out of our hands while we stood by helplessly!" Her hands clenched tightly around the handle of her umbrella. "That guild…they expect us to just roll over for them and do what they want, well…no longer!"

At her shout, a murmur rolled through those attending. I noticed that all vestiges of fear and nervousness began to filter away, replaced by righteous fury. "We won't just roll over and bare our bellies for any guild to just take what they want from us! We will fight back and take _back_ what they stole from us, even if we have to tear apart their entire stronghold!" Her last words caused an eruption through the crowd.

They all cheered loudly, banging their weapons against their bodies or the ground. All semblance of fear was gone from _Dollhoon_ , Pink Princess' words igniting something in them that I doubted any of them had ever felt before. As one, the members of _Dollhoon_ all turned and charged over the hill, several of them almost knocking me over as they went.

"Impressive," I heard Navy Shark grunt in appreciation.

"Huh?" I asked, just barely keeping my balance as yet another burst linker rushed past.

"I had her pegged for some bratty, self-entitled, little girl," Navy Shark said, gesturing to Pink Princess, who was joining her guild in the charge, though at a more sedate pace. "I mean, with an avatar like that?" She snorted. "But she proved me wrong. She genuinely cares for this Slate Forge."

"Do you think we can win?" I asked her.

"No freakin' idea," Navy Shark said and, if I could see her face, I was sure she would be giving me the biggest shit-eating grin imaginable. "Now, come one. You don't want to miss all the action, do you?"

I'm not sure why, but it was that question that caused my brain to catch up with what was happening around me. They were charging into battle. _Everyone_ was charging into battle.

"Oh crap!"

"Get a move on, Dragon!" Navy Shark laughed as she joined the rushing crowd.

Internally cursing my own inattentiveness, I rushed forward as well, joining the advancing party as they crested over the hill. As I reached the peak, a rather good deal behind the rest of the strike force, I got a good look at the battle and I froze.

I had been in raids against NPC's before, Beast (on one occasion) and lower, but this was different. What was before me wasn't just a fight against an enemy.

It was battle.

The burst linkers that had been guarding the door had been quickly overtaken, whether by our numbers or simply because they were caught off guard, but more burst linkers had swiftly replaced them, spilling out from the large doors. Below was a sea of color, burst linkers from both sides melding almost seamlessly with one another to the point where I could hardly tell who was who. They seemed deadlocked at first glance, but I could see _Advent's Fall_ was steadily gaining ground against _Dollhoon_ , their greater battle experience clearly giving them the edge. Just as it looked like Pink Princess and her guild would be overrun, _Knights Dawn_ arrived.

Cherry Marksman, Navy Shark, Honey Spider, Amber Monk, and Ivory Paladin. Despite there only being five of them, they overshadowed all those fighting. Honey Spider was just as swift and devious as when I first fought her. She weaved in and out of enemy lines, striking at those who dared cross her path and catching others in her web, making them easy pickings for others like Cherry Marksman who seemed to never miss her mark.

Navy Shark definitely lived up to her namesake as she savagely tore through opposing with the ferocity of the most feared aquatic predator. Her claws were nothing more than a blur as they raked across her enemies with more effectiveness than I could ever hope for. Amber Monk, as I anticipated, fought much like the stereotypical monk. In other words, he kicked and punched his opponents with such force that many of them were lifted off the ground.

Ashton, or rather, Ivory Paladin…If the others were strong, he was a force of nature. His sword was practically fluid with how fast it was swung, creating a dangerous ring around the white colored burst linker. He cleaved through opponents left and right, leaving none left standing in the way of his blade. His shield, moving equally fast, let no attack reach its wielder. By himself, Ivory Paladin was probably stronger than the entirety of _Dollhoon_.

The members of _Advent's Fall_ seemed to realize this too as an order of retreat rang out. Immediately, the defending force began to slowly move backwards, leaving only a few of members to cover their retreat.

"Platinum Dragon!" I jolted out of my stupor at the sound of my name. My eyes roamed over the battlefield before falling upon Pink Princess, her blue eyes locked onto mine.

"Now!" she shouted, pointing towards the iron doors that were in the midst of closing behind the retreating _Advent's Fall_ members.

Immediately, I snapped out of my stupor. I raced down the hill as fast as I could, tripping up only once but maintaining my footing in the end. I rushed through the battlefield, dodging and shoving people out of the way as I went in my rush. A few of the remaining enemies, sensing that I was up to something, tried to impede my approach, but I cut they were cut down by my allies before they could reach me. Finally, I reached the doors.

"Do it now, Dragon!" Pink Princess roared over the noise around us.

"Right!" I shouted. I planted my feet heavily in the dirt, my entire body tense. Behind me, the battle waged on, but it was like hearing it through water. It was nearly impossible to focus on, but that was fine. There was only one thing to focus on at the moment was my target; the oversized, metal doors before me.

With the tell-tale snap and hiss as my mouth piece snapped open, my attack was ready. With a almost primal shout, the bright beam of energy erupted from my mouth and raced towards the doors.

The blast of energy met its mark with a cacophonous explosion. Around me, the fighting came to a standstill, everyone stopping whatever they were doing to watch the sight of my attack bombarding. I hardly noticed any of this, far too focused on the task at hand. From the corner of my eye, I could see my special move gauge steadily depleting. I had to hurry.

From where I was, I could hear the doors creak and buckle under the intensity of my attack. A low hiss reached my ears and I saw the metal just outside the range of my attack was starting to heat up. My attack, after eight seconds, finally gave out, the massive geyser of energy slowly lessening to a thin beam of light. For a moment, I feared that my attack hadn't been enough, but as my attack lessened, I saw the damage I had done.

The doors, while still standing, now sported a large hole between them, large enough for even Emerald Rook to fit through and still have some room. Silence pervaded the area, only broken by the dull his of the super-heated metal cooling in the air. A second passed. Then another and another, before finally…

"FORWARD!" Pink Princess practically screeched.

All at once, life returned to the battlefield. The forces of _Dollhoon_ cheered and rushed forward, completely overtaking those that had remained to stop them. A startled yelp left me as I was nearly bowled over by the overzealous guild members. By the time I regained my bearings, more than half of them had already infiltrated the stronghold. I made to follow, but a hand fell upon my shoulder.

"Not you, Cadmus," Ivory Paladin said. "You are to stay out here."

"But—" I tried to argue Ivory Paladin, but he just raised his hand for silence.

"I will not risk your safety," Ashton said. The other members of _Knights of Dawn_ walked past at that point and too entered into the stronghold. I noticed that Amber Monk paused momentarily to look at us and I just knew he was smiling smugly.

"There are others with far less experience fighting!" I argued. "Why are you forbidding me to fight and not them.?!"

"Because I'm not in charge of them. Pink Princess is," Ashton replied simply. "I cannot control how she leads nor the orders she gives. She can bring whomever she wishes to this battle, as I can. You are to stay _here_." He emphasized his last words, leaving no room for argument.

"Fine," I relented reluctantly.

Ashton, seemingly noticing my reluctance, patted my shoulder consolingly. "Don't worry. You'll be strong enough to join us before you know it."

I winced severely at that, not that Ashton could see it. With one last pat on my shoulder, it followed the forces of _Dollhoon_ into the opening I had made, the rest of _Knights of Dawn_ following behind him. As they passed, Amber Monk paused and turned to me. While his face was a metallic mask, I was sure he was smiling smugly at me. Before I could say anything, he, and the rest of my guild was gone, leaving me alone with the few guild members of _Dollhoon_ that had chosen to stay.

-Rise of the Dragon-

For what had to have been the hundredth time that day, I sighed from my laid bag position in the now sandy landscape (a Transition had occurred not five minutes ago, turning the area into a beach-like area, minus the water), Ashton and the others had entered _Advent's Fall_ 's stronghold well over ten minutes ago. While, I'll freely admit, I don't know much about proper battle (if this could be called that), but it shouldn't be taking this long should it?

A strangled growl rumbled from my throat, my clawed hands clenching in aggravation. I wanted desperately to go after them, to make sure that they were all oaky, but I held myself back. Ashton had given me a direct order to stay behind and…

"…do nothing," I groused, sinking further into the now sandy ground. Glancing behind me, I could see that the few other burst linkers of _Dollhoon_ that stayed behind had grouped together and appeared to be conversing quite happily.

"I wish I could be that relaxed," I lamented, pulling myself up into a sitting position. "I'm nothing but an over-hyped battering ram."

And it was true. All I had done was open a door. Anyone could have done that with enough time. Sure, I cut down on time, but, with a few swings, I'm sure Emerald Rook could have knocked down both doors.

With yet another sigh, I turned my head and stared at my tail, which was languidly tracing shapes in the sand. It was weird. Having a tail that is. I could control it like any other arm or leg, though it did take a little time to get used to, yet, sometimes, it would move like it had a mind of its own. A dual avatar is supposed to be a physical manifestation of a burst linker's trauma, or rather the need to protect themselves from said trauma.

There was probably some 'spiritual significance' to my avatar being a dragon, probably something to do with courage or perseverance, but I never really delved too much into it. Maybe my avatar was trying to tell me something. Like, maybe the secret to some all-powerful technique.

I snorted in amusement. "Yeah right."

My tail stilled in its movements, becoming limp next to me. Glancing at said appendage, I saw the senseless swirls I had left in the sand. Funny. From the right angle, they almost looked like birds…

I was jarred out of my thoughts by a sudden explosion from the stronghold.

I fell back, startled out of my sitting position. I thought that I might have shrieked, but the agonizing ringing in my ears muffled everything. Shakily, I got to my knees, my vision still blurry. Blearily, I looked towards the stronghold, my doubled vision doing me no favors in deciphering what was before me. Slowly, my vision returned and I saw the fire.

Flames spewed from the now broken doors, wreathed in thick smoke. At the foot of the doors were the limp forms of several burst linkers laid strewn. Their forms charred… Charred beyond recognition… Pale skin burnt black…

Fire…

Screaming…

A horn… A loud…echoing…horn…

"Cadmus!"

I was forcibly jolted from my thoughts, a heavy hand slamming onto my shoulder and roughly shaking me. My vision snapped back to the present, the burnt bodies and twisted metal gone, replaced by the panicking forms of my allies.

"Cadmus!" I jolted again, my eyes finding the one in front of me.

"Ash…ton?"

"We need to move!" Ashton said, his voice urgent.

"Wh-What happened?" I managed to ask.

"We miscalculated. There was more opposition than we first thought," he said, his demeanor grim.

Another explosion rocked the stronghold behind us. Looking past Ashton, I saw three figures strolling from the flames as if unaffected by the heat. I recognized two of them, Topaz Warlock and Brick Mortar, but the one in the middle was new.

The first thing that I noticed was their color. Well, it was more like I didn't notice their color at first considering he blended in almost seamlessly with the inky black smoke. The only reason I saw him was for the silver accents on their armor. They were thin, incredibly so. Especially in their abdomen and arms, which were hardly thicker than a tree branch, with their only visible armor being a breastplate and gauntlets.

As he stepped further out of the smoke, I saw that their fingers were long, thin, wickedly sharp needle-like claws that gave a light tinkling sound with every twitch they made. A silver cloth-like garment was fastened around their too thin waste, fluttering just past their shins. Their head was an odd, ovular in shape and ending in a several sharp points around the top of their head, almost resembling a fire. A single line of silver slid up their face, ending several inches past their head. They had no visible eyes or face.

The figure looked around at the destruction surrounding them with apparent distaste. "How annoying," they- _he_ said. "It would appear that our plans appear to have come to an end."

"It can't be," Ashton whispered next to me. Turning towards him, I saw that the knight was frozen stock still. Had he had any visible skin; I was sure it would be pale. "Obsidian Seraph."

"Who?" I asked. Before Ashton could answer, another figure a large figure burst from the smoke, charging straight for the trio.

I immediately recognized the emerald armor of Emerald Rook as he gave a mighty roar. He charged forward, brandishing his hammer with the intent of crushing one, if not all, of the trio in front of him. As he moved, a heavy sense of foreboding washed over me. I tried to call out to Emerald Rook, to warn him, but no words left my mouth. Both Brick Mortar and Topaz Warlock made moves to intercept, but the third figure, Obsidian Seraph, was faster.

It was over in second. A flash of something black followed by the loud thump of Emerald Rook's heavy, headless body hitting the ground.

"Pathetic," Obsidian Seraph sneered down at Emerald Rook.

I was stunned. He had taken down Emerald Rook down in a single strike. Was this guy seriously that powerful?! That's when I noticed his weapon. It wasn't a sword or anything similar. It was a wing. Obsidian Seraph had two bat-like wings, minus the membrane. Instead, there was just four 'fingers', each two feet long and as sharp as swords. The 'forearms' were rounded and bulbous at the joints, tipped with dagger-like claws.

The figure glanced up and seemed to take notice of Ashton and myself. I couldn't tell, seeing as Obsidian Seraph had no face, but I swore that he seemed to stare at Ashton and smile. Beside me, Ashton visibly tensed, his hand clenching around the hilt of his sword. For a terrifyingly long second, I thought Ashton would attack the withered angel, but before he could, he was interrupted.

"My lord," a soft voice called.

Yet another figure appeared from the smoke. They were tall and lanky with a bright yellow body. Their armor was trimmed with silver, their fingers the same color and far thicker than they probably should be. Their head was completely round and smoothed over with a singular green 'eye'. Twin extensions that looked like a bundle of wires tipped sharp, metal prongs hung from the back of their head. It looked almost like they were pigtails.

"Is the task done?" Obsidian Seraph asked, not looking at the new figure.

"It is," the figure said, bowing lowly.

"Good. Then we have no reason to remain here." The angel finally turned away from us and looked to his compatriots. "Let us depart."

Topaz Warlock, Brick Mortar, and the new arrival all nodded and began walking away leisurely as if they weren't walking away from a smoking battlefield. Obsidian Seraph stayed where he was for several moments before turning back to me and Ashton and he seemed to smile.

"I apologize that our reunion has been so short, Ashton Calloway, but I must leave you and your little dragon as I have other matters to attend to," he said, giving a rather flamboyant that was offset by the venom in his words. "I hope that we do not beat again."

Obsidian Seraph spread his wings as if about to take flight. "Oh. You may have Slate Forge," he said. "We have no further use of his services." He then crouched low before leaping high into the air. He hovered there, nearly thirty feet in the air, with wings that should not have been able to keep him aloft. He turned to me and I could feel his sickening smirk.

"By the way, your sister sends her regards." My heart skipped a beat and a chill ran down my spine. As if sensing this, the angel laughed cruelly before flying off in the direction his cohorts had gone in, leaving the now silent battlefield behind.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

A Long Talk

Things were understandably tense once we returned from the Unlimited Neutral Field. Despite how things ended, we were able to rescue Slate Forge to which Pink Princess was immensely grateful for, though there was a distinct bittersweet tone in her words. She reiterated that she would do anything in her power to return the favor. However, if Ashton heard any of this, he gave no indication. In fact, he had been eerily silent ever since we encountered that burst linker. Obsidian Seraph.

Just remembering the name Ashton had whispered sent chills down my spine. I had been up against numerous other burst linkers, but none exuded such… _evil_ as he did. I may not know a lot about him, but there was one thing I was certain of…

I did not want to fight him.

"So…I guess we should address the elephant in the room," Pink Princess, or Victoria Song, suddenly spoke up. "That burst linker, the one that looked like a half-starved angel, judging how he was giving direction to Topaz Warlock and Brick Mortar, he is most likely the leader of _Advent's Fall_."

I hummed in ascent, already having suspected as much. I glanced at Ashton, expecting him to add something to the conversation, but he just sat there in silence, his eyes seemingly glazed over as if he were comatose.

"Knowing who their leader is does not do much to help us at the moment, Ms. Song," Emerald Rook pointed out, a dull scowl on his face. He was most likely still sulking from how the battle turned out, not that I blamed him. He was defeated in an instant after all. That couldn't be sitting well with the one said to have the highest defensive stat.

"True, however, now that we have a name, we can begin to amass information," Victoria replied easily.

"Amass…information?" I asked.

"Of course! You don't think trading is all _Dollhoon_ does, do you?!" Victoria questioned, looking quite pleased with herself.

"Honestly…yes."

Victoria nearly fell out of her seat. "It's not!" she exclaimed, an angry blush flooding her cheeks. " _Dollhoon_ does more than just simple trading. Think about it, if our guild is capable of making high quality items, and there is no currency system, what do you think we're paid with?"

I blinked. I hadn't really thought about that actually. "Rare items?" I guessed.

"Sometimes, but secrets are a much more valued reward for our services." She held up three fingers. "NPC spawn locations, the best places for grinding, information on the abilities of various burst linkers; all of these are acceptable currency in the eyes of _Dollhoon_!"

"So, through your trading network, you've effectively created a spy network!" I exclaimed.

"Eh, it's more of an information gathering network than an actual spy network," Victoria said, sounding slightly bashful. Her expression swiftly changed to a more serious one. "Now, all we have to do is ask the right people to gain more information on—"

"His name is Obsidian Seraph."

Victoria cut herself off. She, Emerald Rook, and myself all turned to Ashton. The sophomore was resting his elbows on his knees, his eyes no longer appearing glazed, but still unfocused.

"Right…Obsidian Seraph," Victoria amended. "Anyway, as I was saying, now it's the simple matter of asking the right people to figure out more about this character and what his goals are."

With that, Victoria began talking with Emerald Rook, most likely about how to go about gaining information. I wasn't sure exactly as I wasn't paying attention to them. I was too caught up in my own thoughts. Hadn't Ashton and the rest of _Knights of Dawn_ been doing the same thing for the past month? Sure, Pink Princess most likely had a wider network she could search, but could she really find more about _Advent's Fall_ than we did?

I found my eyes slowly moving towards Ashton, taking in his contemplative posture. "Ashton…you know something about Obsidian Seraph, don't you?"

Ashton looked up, staring at me in contemplation. "…I do."

All conversation ceased. All eyes were now locked onto the dark-skinned male. "A-Are you serious?!" Pink Princess asked incredulously. "You know Obsidian Seraph?!"

"I do," Ashton repeated, his eyes once more returning to the floor. "He was my 'Parent' after all."

Both Victoria and I gasped while Emerald Rook's eyes widened in surprise. The bond between 'Parent' and 'Child' was something sacred among all burst linkers. The act of introducing someone to Brain Burst, to, essentially, birth a new burst linker into the world. In other words, they were exactly like a parent was in the real world, and for Obsidian Seraph to be Ashton's…

"So, you're affiliated with _Advent's Fall_?" Victoria asked.

"Of course not," Ashton responded, an appalled expression on his face.

"Could have fooled me!" Victoria snapped. "The supposed enemy of your guild just _happens_ to be your 'Parent'? Yeah Right!"

"Ms. Song," Emerald Rook said. His voice was still level and calm, but there was a distinct warning in his tone. "I believe that we should allow Ivory Paladin a chance to explain things before you start accusing him."

"But Arthur—" Victoria tried to object, but was silenced by Emerald Rook's stern glare. "Alright, fine," she huffed, clearly put out.

Emerald Rook nodded before turning to Ashton who bowed his head in appreciation. "First, let me start off by saying that Obsidian Seraph's true name is Adam Roth."

"Roth? I haven't heard that name before," I commented.

"I wouldn't expect you to," Ashton said. "He isn't from a prominent family like Victoria or me. In fact, he doesn't even go to the same school as me."

"Really?" I don't know why I was so surprised. Maybe I just assumed that a rich person like Ashton would associate with someone not on equal monetary standing. Then again, he associated with me…

"I honestly don't even remember how I met him exactly. I just remember thinking that he was…amazing." A small smile formed on Ashton's face as he remembered something from his past. "All my life, I lived by strict rules: be polite and respectful, only speak when spoke, etcetera, etcetera. But when I met Adam, he showed me how to have fun. To relax and go and to enjoy life. It was only after he gave me Brain Burst that he began to change."

Ashton's smile, as quickly as it came, fell from his face. "When I first started out, everything was fine. We fought other burst linkers, leveled up, made a small guild…it was nice. It was an escape, just like Brain Burst should be, but Adam wasn't satisfied with that. He was…obsessed with the benefits that it can give."

"Abilities? Like…in game abilities or…?" I questioned.

"Real world abilities," Ashton clarified. "Or, more specifically, how accelerating can manipulate the world around us."

I nodded in understanding. Ashton had explained the main ability Brain Burst provided outside of the actual game, the Physical Burst, and I couldn't really blame this Adam character for being interested in it. After all, accelerating your consciousness by ten and being able to move at an accelerated pace is an incredible ability, well worth the five burst points it took to use. However, having said that, there was only so much that those abilities could do.

I mean, sure, the initial Burst Link freezes time and basically allows you to roam around the immediate environment, but even with that, there were only three abilities and they can't really manipulate the real world that much. Could it be that…Obsidian Seraph found another ability?!

"Adam started out innocently enough," Ashton continued, oblivious to my inner monologue. "Using the acceleration ability to be good at sports, to pass every test he took, to win fights…"

"That doesn't sound very innocent," Victoria pointed out.

"I know. Looking back, it was clear he was abusing acceleration. I guess I was just too enamored by him to see anything wrong with what he was doing," Ashton confessed. "Maybe if I did, he wouldn't be doing what he is now."

"And what exactly is he doing?" Victoria questioned.

Ashton shook his head. "I don't know. When I left, he kept going on and on about 'breaking the rules of the world'. He didn't make much sense after that."

"I take it that's when you left him?" I asked.

"Yes. I couldn't bear to see him devolve into…" Ashton's jaw clenched, unable to finish his thought. "I tried to appeal to him. I practically begged him to give up his pursuit so we could go back to the way things were, but he refused. So…I left him."

"You just…left him?" I asked. The way he said it. He sounded so casual, like he was talking about the weather. He, essentially, abandoned his 'Parent', how wasn't he affected by that?!

"I did," Ashton responded, his expression impassive. "Had I stayed; I most certainly would have followed down the same path as he did. If I had done that…" He raised his head and looked directly at me. "…you would have never gotten Brain Burst."

I inhaled sharply, a blur of 'what ifs' flooding my mind. Where would I be without Brain Burst? Without Ashton? Still the victim of Eric Cho? Would my relationship with Barnaby deteriorate? Would that cause my friendship with Cecil to fall apart?

As my inner turmoil continued, Ashton turned to Victoria. "So, as you can see, I have no current affiliation with Obsidian Seraph or _Advent's Fall_."

"Hmm," Victoria mused, her gaze still stiff and unmoving. "I suppose I believe you. For the time being," she added.

Ashton simply nodded in acceptance. "That's fine. As long as your suspicion doesn't interfere with our collaboration. However, while I _do_ know of Obsidian Seraph, I know nothing of what he is planning."

Victoria leaned forward, lacing her fingers together. A look of deep thought crossing her face. "You may not, but I may."

Both Ashton and I immediately turned to her, our expression of shock and confusion mirroring one another. Even Emerald Rook—Arthur, his name is Arthur—had a look of surprise on his typically stoic face. "What do you mean?!" Ashton all but demanded. "How could you know what Obsidian Seraph is planning?!"

Victoria smirked upon seeing out expressions, giving me the distinct impression that she was pleased with the fact that she knew more than us. "Oh? Would you like to know~?"

I could feel my face shift into a deadpan expression. Was she seriously playing this game? Next to me, I could see Ashton's patience begin to wane. The vein on his temple was throbbing viciously, his hands twitching, itching to curl into fists. Before he could snap at the young woman, Arthur interjected.

"Ms. Song." Victoria's smile turned to a dejected pout. She glanced at Arthur, performing a rather blatant display of 'puppy-dog' eyes, but the large male was unaffected. "Now's not the time for games."

"Fine," Victoria sighed, becoming serious in the next moment. "The burst linker that exited _Advent's Fall_ 's stronghold, just before Obsidian Seraph and his cronies left, while I didn't see them myself, their description matched that of a burst linker I have been keeping tabs on since they first appeared: Neon Circuit."

"Neon Circuit," Ashton repeated. "I don't think I've heard of them."

"I'm not surprised. They've only been around for a month or so," Victoria informed us.

"So, what makes them so special?" I asked.

"I was getting to that," Victoria said, appearing disgruntled over being rushed. With a resigned sigh, she continued. "What first drew me to this particular burst linker was their special ability."

"Which is?" Ashton prompted impatiently.

Victoria was fully scowling at that point, but she didn't stop her explanation. "Environmental manipulation."

"Environmental manipulation?" I repeated; astounded.

"That's right," Victoria said with a nod. "As I'm sure you undoubtedly know, yellow avatars are essentially the jammer class among the duel avatars. Their abilities are geared towards indirect attacks, attack negation, and illusion. Neon Circuit's ability works along the same lines. They can cause the ground to move and shift around a player, make tree branches lash out or grab others, they can even turn a still pond into a vicious whirlpool."

"Interesting. That truly is a unique ability," Ashton mused. "However, how does knowing this individual give you insight on Obsidian Seraph's plan?"

"Because, if you would let me finish, during their duels, there were reports _glitches_ within nearby electrical systems. Specifically, those they touched through the 'skinned' environment."

Glitches? Why did that sound familiar…?

My eyes widened in realization. "Those system glitches that have been occurring!"

"Precisely," Victoria said, smiling grimly. "I suspect that, due to the nature of Neon Circuit's avatar, they are able to manipulate the environment to 'hack' the coded area and warp it to fit their needs. As such, for whatever reason, should the area they are effecting be connected to a mechanical device through the Social Camera Network, it too is affected." She turned to Ashton. "You said that Obsidian Seraph wanted to manipulate the world around us. Well…it would appear that Neon Circuit can do just that."

Ashton said nothing; silently digesting the information we had just gotten. His eyes had narrowed in thought, what appeared to be a thousand thoughts rushing through his mind.

"But wait," I interjected. "Why would there be an ability that can effect the real world? That doesn't seem like something the game developers would allow."

"You have to keep in mind, Cadmus, that each burst linker is unique. Their avatar, as well as their avatar's abilities, are crafted using an unknown program. As far as anyone can tell, there is really no limit to what a duel avatar _could_ do and Neon Circuit is a prime example of this."

Incredible. An ability that can affect reality. The sheer prospect of such an ability was both amazing and terrifying. If this ability really could affect the real world, if used in the wrong place, they could affect traffic lights or even short out a hospital. Whether or not they were malicious (which, considering that they were allied with _Advent's Fall_ , they most likely were), they could do some serious damage.

"I can tell that you are seeing the capabilities of this ability," Victoria said. "If used in the right place, the effects could be catastrophic."

"Then we've got to do something!" I exclaimed, leaping out of my seat. "We…we've got to tell somebody! This…This goes beyond this being a game! Lives are at stake!"

"And who exactly would we tell?" Victoria asked calmly. "Brain Burst is a secret app. If we were to go to the police, what do you think would happen? Either they won't believe us or they'll start asking questions that will force us to expose Brain Burst."

"Well, maybe that's—"

"'For the best?'" Victoria finished with a scoff. "What do you think the government would do if they got their hands on Brain Burst and learned how to use it? It would be weaponized. Warfare across the world would change, and not for the better. No, we have to keep Brain Burst a secret."

"But—even so…"

"Cadmus," Ashton interjected. "You are correct, this is incredibly dangerous. Just like it was when your sister attempted to poison us." I winced at that. "It is clear that _Advent's Fall_ has malicious intent and, now that we have 'poked the ant's nest', they will come at us with the intent to kill."

"Which is why we need help!" I yelled. "This is too big for just the _Knights of Dawn_ or even _Dollhoon_! If they have the power to Affect the real world, even if we beat _Advent's Fall_ in Brain Burst, they could potentially attack us in the real world and not leave a trace!"

"Which is why we have to deal with the threat at the source," Ashton said. "We need to deplete Neon Circuit of all their burst points."

A beat of silence.

"That would certainly solve the problem," Arthur mused. "Even if we aren't victorious in fully stopping _Advent's Fall_ , we can at least get rid of their main weapon."

"How do you suggest we go about doing this?" Victoria questioned. "Would you like me to find out their identity?"

"No, depleting them of their burst points that way would take too long, especially as we don't know their identity at this moment," Ashton said. "It would be better to attack them while they are in the Unlimited Neutral Field."

"The Unlimited Neutral Field?" Victoria asked. "Wouldn't that be even more unreliable?"

"No. If _Advent's Fall_ does intend to manipulate with real world, going there would give them unlimited access. We just need to wait for the right moment and strike the entire guild, considering it would be foolish to believe that Obsidian Seraph would allow Neon Circuit to enter the Unlimited Neutral Field unattended."

I couldn't fault that logic. Getting rid of Neon Circuit would definitely take away a lot of _Advent's Fall_ 's lethality, but…it just didn't sit right. Sure, this person's power could deadly, but, forcing them to lose Brain Burst…it was essentially like killing a part of them.

"Cadmus." Ashton's voice pulled me from my revere. "You will not be participating in this attack."

…what?

"You were right, it is far too dangerous for you, especially since your identity is compromised," Ashton continued. "Should our attack fail, more than likely, you will most definitely be a target."

…was he serious?

"To ensure your safety, it would be best if you were to leave _Knights of Dawn_ entirely."

…is he…

"I understand that this may not be what you want to hear, but—"

"Shut up." My voice was soft, hardly above a whisper, but it silenced the room.

Ashton's mouth snapped shut, his eyes open wide in surprise. Both Victoria and Arthur wore matching looks of shock, their gaze shifting between both myself and Ashton. I was surprised myself; speaking out like I did, but I couldn't just sit silently by.

"How dare you," I said, my voice shaking as I struggled to maintain calm.

"Cadmus…?" Ashton sounded uncertain. "I know that this may be upsetting, but—"

"But what? It's 'for the best'?!" I scoffed. "How the hell is forcing me to leave the guild _for the best_?!"

"Because it's dangerous," Ashton said, agitation flickering across his features. "You said it yourself, this has progressed far beyond the normal parameters of a game. You will be at risk if you join us in this fight."

"So, what? You want me to just… _abandon Knights of Dawn_? To abandon _you_?!"

"It's for your own safety!" Ashton snapped. "They know your identity! They could easily attack you in the real world, just like they did before!"

"And what about you!" I countered. "Obsidian Seraph knows you too! You're at just as much risk as I would be!"

"And I've made peace with that!" Ashton shouted, losing all sense of decorum and rising to his feet. "Obsidian Seraph— _Adam_ Is my responsibility. I could have, and should have, stopped him before he became a threat. He is my responsibility and I will deal with him without putting others at risk!"

"It's my choice!"

"And it's my decision who participates! I don't understand why your so adamant about putting yourself at risk!" Ashton exclaimed in exasperation. "Just a moment ago, you were reluctant to even face _Advent's Fall_ , so why are you fighting so hard to fight them?!"

"Because I owe you. You gave me Brain Burst!"

"That doesn't mean you owe me anything!"

"It means I owe you _everything_!" I shouted, finally losing control.

I could feel all my rage and anger leave me, leaving me tired and worn. Standing on suddenly shaky legs, I fell back into my seat. I bowed my head, no longer able to face Ashton.

"Cadmus…" I internally winced at the softness of Ashton's voice.

"Just…don't…" I hated how weak my voice sounded, but I just couldn't muster any sort of strength.

The floors creaked as Ashton walked closer until he was standing next to me. "Cadmus," he repeated in what I assumed to be a soothing manner.

"It's just…you may not think what you did was anything special, that he might not have meant anything, but it meant everything to me." I took a shaky breath, trying to gain control of my rampant emotions. "My life was hell before Brain Burst. Before you. I was just some no named orphan without anyone who gave a damn about him, and don't try and say otherwise," I added when I saw Ashton about to speak. "You saw how my sister treated me when we were on opposing sides. Even my relationship with Cecil and Barnaby was strained. I had no one."

My fists clenched tightly, causing my nails to bite into my palms. "I was broken; shattered to so many pieces that even my sister didn't I was worth putting together. I'm weak, cowardly, and unexpected loud noises cause me to freeze up. Prime bulling material in all honesty. I had resigned myself to living like that, like everyone's doormat or punching bag…but all that changed when I met you."

Why was I speaking? Why was I telling Ashton this? I always kept these thoughts to myself, but here I was. Spilling my guts out like some middle schooler with a diary. "By giving me Brain Burst, you allowed me to change myself. I entered a world where I was strong, I joined your guild and made more friends than I ever hoped to make, and I felt important, even if it was only to a handful of people. For once, since my parents' death, I was happy and you caused all of that."

I finally looked up, meeting Ashton's concerned gaze with my own determined one. My eyes were burning with the tears I was struggling to keep at bay. "You changed my life for better. I owe you more than I could ever hope to repay and now you're asking me to stand idly by as you head into battle? I can't do that. No matter how scared I am…no matter how much I want to run away…I can't and I won't! So, please, don't ask me to abandon you, because I won't. Not after all you've done for me!"

For the longest moment, Ashton said nothing. His expression was unreadable, but I could just make out the conflicting thoughts flashing behind dark brown orbs. Distantly, a part of my consciousness noted that both Victoria and Arthur were absent from the room, both of them having likely vacated the premises when I started shouting. A small part of me felt a little bad for causing Victoria to flee a room in in her own house, but the larger portion was too preoccupied with the current situation to care.

After what felt like an eternity, Ashton finally spoke, his voice sounding softer than I expected. "I…didn't know you felt this way, Cadmus. When I first gave your Brain Burst, I knew only some of what you faced on a day to day basis. Never could I have imagined just what granting you this ability would mean to you and, while I truly do not wish for any harm to come to you, I would be remiss if I didn't respect your wishes."

My heart was practically screaming in my ears. Did he mean what I thought he meant?

"However, despite your determination, the fact of the matter is that the enemies you will be facing are far above your current level," Ashton said, causing my hopes to fall as quickly as they had risen.

"I-I can do some grinding!" I suggested, admittedly sounding a little desperate.

"That won't be enough," Ashton said with a shake of his head. "Even if you were to train and grind every day, it would take months for you to reach the same level as our opponents."

My head fell to my chest once more. Now, more than before, I could feel my tears fighting to leave my tear ducts. He still wouldn't let me fight. I was just a burden to him and the guild…

"As such, you will learn a cheat of sorts," Ashton continued, immediately pulling me from my depressing thoughts.

"A…cheat?" I asked in confusion.

"Of sorts," Ashton clarified with a sly grin. "You're going to learn how to utilize the Incarnate System."

"The Incarnate…System?"


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Incarnate

With nothing more than a cryptic hint at some secret ability and a location to meet at within the Unlimited Neutral Field (there's got to be some shorter name for that place!), Ashton sent me on my way. I returned to my apartment with both a sense of relief as well as a series of questions. While I was ecstatic that we had rescued Slate Forge and that I had convinced Ashton to let me fight with him, but the situation involving Obsidian Seraph was mind boggling.

The fact that the leader of _Advent's Fall_ was really Ashton's 'Parent' is _insane_! I could only imagine what Ashton was going through; knowing that he would have to fight against a person who introduced him to Brain Burst. The person who saved Ashton from his own personal hell. After all, I couldn't even imagine having to fight Ashton after everything he's done for me.

Not only that, but Obsidian Seraph's desire to control the world through Brain Burst…was something like that even possible? Sure, the Physical Burst ability allowed the user to manipulate the real world to some extent, though it was only their own body. Was there truly some way to manipulate the real world with Brain Burst? If so, the possibilities could potentially be endless and there was no doubt Obsidian Seraph would do anything in his power to obtain this ability. That being said, he will definitely defend against any attacker seeking to get in his way and, considering the brief glimpse of his power that I had seen from the angel burst linker, we had our work cut out for us.

Hence why I couldn't stop wondering about the so called 'Incarnate System'.

The way Ashton described it, as vague as it was, it seemed like an ability a burst linker could use, making me believe it was something like a special move. That being said, the fact that it was apparently not well known among other burst linkers, considering I hadn't heard about it before. I wondered if it was something that could only be gained in the UNF (Perfect! I'm totally calling it that now!).

As I laid in bed, the adrenaline from the day slowly working its way out of my body, I couldn't help but think about what was to come. By the way Ashton spoke, it seemed like he wanted to make a move against Obsidian Seraph sooner rather than later and I had serious doubts on whether or not I actually be of use in the coming battle. Sure, I talked a big game with Ashton, but, deep down…heh. I had no idea what I could offer.

I've come a long way since gaining Brain Burst, both as a person and a burst linker, even I had to admit that, but Obsidian Seraph seemed to be on an entirely different level. That's not even mentioning the fact that he had allies like Topaz Warlock and Brick Mortar and…my sister…

I violently shook my head, refusing to think about her. That was a can of worms that I wanted nothing to do with. No matter how much her actions confused me or how thinking about her made my heart ache…

"No!" I said to myself. I'm not thinking about it!

I curled up, slinging my blankets over myself with an irritated huff. I just needed some sleep. I was late and I had a busy day. I just needed to put those thoughts on hold, stop worrying about the future, ignore my shaking hands, and get some sleep. Whatever the future held; I would face it in the morning.

I didn't get much sleep that night.

-Rise of the Dragon-

I was barely awake when I came to the UNF. No matter how hard I tried to simply lay down and relax, my thoughts were plagued by _Advent's_ _Fall_. I really hope that this new ability was as strong as Ashton made it out to be, because I would need all the help I could get if I wanted to compare to our enemies. Speaking of Ashton…

I didn't see Ashton immediately when I entered, which immediately put me on edge considering he had given me the time and location to meet. The current environment was that of a mountain range, complete with a layer of hazy mist. I was currently on a grassy plateau; a few peaks poking out from the mist. Admittedly, I may be acting a little paranoid, but considering everything that's happened since I got the crazy app… Well, I thought I deserved to be a little paranoid.

Speaking of which…

A sharp whistle piercing the air was the only warning I got. Several months at this game had me moving before my mind caught up with what was happening. This proved to be the right course of action as the place where I had just been standing had a bright gold arrow sticking out of the ground.

"What the hell—" I cut myself off in order to jump away from yet another arrow. Whipping around, I saw my attacker.

Standing in what I could only describe as a cinematic pose, balancing on one of the peaks, was my attacker. Their armor style was rather sleek and streamline with a black robe and bronze medallions hanging from various locations; the rest of their body being a dark yellow. Their feet had two claw-like extensions that looked almost like an exaggerated geta type shoe. Their helmet was slightly oblong and the face of which was almost entirely black save for a thin bright blue visor. In their hands they possessed a long, black staff with a purple orb fixed via a gold talon-like holder. The other end of the staff, which they had pointing at me, was a sharp point that glowed bright gold and was firing arrow-like projectiles at me.

Wait…arrow-like projectiles?

But yellow avatars are primarily jamming oriented! Such attacks were incredibly uncommon. What was going on?!

Seeing that they had been found, the figure simply adjusted their aim before firing another arrow at me. Once more, I dodged the attack; the arrow imbedding itself into the ground. As I moved, I took note of the arrow. It appeared to be made entirely of gold light and it disappeared almost as soon as it pierced the stone. I would have assumed that the arrow was some kind of energy attack had there not been a small hole in the stone where the arrow had pierced, meaning that it had physical properties.

While I would have loved to debate the complexities of whatever weapon this guy was using, I didn't have the time as I was forced dodge the hail of arrows coming my way.

"Who are you?!" I demanded as I dodged the arrows sent my way. The figure, instead of responding, just fire more arrows at me.

A deep growl rumbled in my throat at both my attacker's silence and their relentless attacks. I had dodged everything so far, but it didn't feel like an accomplishment. The spacing between the arrows, not to mention the figure's refusal to use any other approach, rubbed me the wrong way. It was like they were purposefully not trying to hit me, or, at the very least, they weren't really trying to hit me, but why?

What was this person's deal? Why were they attacking me out of the blue, and with such lack-luster attacks? Were they just some random player or were they a member of _Advent's Fall_? I had no way of knowing and I wasn't going to get any answers by just jumping around like an idiot.

Mind made up, my mouth piece snapped open with a hiss of steam and energy began to coalesce in my jaw. Strangely enough, as I started to charge my attack, the figure paused in their own. They just stood there, seemingly intrigued by what I was doing. Arrogant prick.

With a roar, I unleashed my attack, watching in satisfaction as the deadly beam of energy screamed towards the opposing burst linker. However, much to my shock and frustration, the figure jumped straight over my attack, clearing the space between his peak and the plateau in a single bound, landing right next to me.

I stumbled back, caught completely off guard. My attack shut off as I tried to regain my bearings, but, before I could, they lunged at me, their staff poised to pierce through my face. Having no way to dodge, I shut my eyes tightly, bracing for the pain, but it never came.

Tentatively opening my eyes, I was met with the cold visor of the robbed avatar, the pointed end of their staff just inches from my neck.

A swallowed the lump in my throat; my heart beating a mile a minute. Whoever this was, they quite literally had me at knife point. Slowly, I raised my arms in surrender.

"…Hmph. Not as dumb as you look," the figure grunted, lowering their weapon away from my neck. Their voice, or rather _his_ voice, was low and monotonous and held a slightly disinterested if not annoyed tone to it. "At least Ivory Paladin didn't send me someone without at least a small amount of potential."

I blinked owlishly. "W-Wait…You know Ash—I mean, Ivory Paladin?"

"Oh? So, you know Ivory Paladin's true name. He must have a great deal of trust in you to reveal his identity," the ninja mused, his tone never changing. "I suppose that is why he sent you to me."

"How do you know Ivory Paladin?" I questioned.

"Hmm?" he hummed as if I didn't hear me. I withheld a growl, my annoyance beginning to grow. I was about to snap at the jerk when he spoke again. "I know Ivory Paladin because I was the one that taught him how to use the Incarnate System."

"Seriously?!" I gaped at him. "You taught Ivory Paladin how to use the Incarnate System?! Wait, what _is_ the Incarnate System?"

"Jeez, you don't even know?" the figure groaned. "Man, Ivory Paladin didn't even give you an idea of it. What a pain… At least tell me that you know about the concept of control via physical order?"

"Y-Yeah. That's the concept that someone is able to control their avatar through brainwaves read by their neuro linker, right?"

"A rather simple explanation, but accurate," the burst linker drawled. "Okay, listen up because I'm only going to explain this once, got it?" Not even waiting for me to understand, he proceeded. "Now, since you understand the concept of control via physical order, I'll move on to the more complicated version of movement…"

"Wait, why would I need to know of some advanced movement system?" I interrupted. "Isn't the physical order enough?"

"Don't interrupt!" the guy snapped. "The version I'm about to describe is essential for understanding the Incarnate System!"

"Yessir!" I yelped fearfully.

"Good. Now, as I was saying, the more complicated version of avatar manipulation comes from something called control via power image. Unlike the first method, which relies primarily on brainwaves, control via power image relies on the user's willpower."

"Their willpower?" I questioned.

"What'd I say about interrupting?!" he growled, causing me to flinch. Seeing that I was thoroughly chastised, he continued with what he was saying. "Anyway, admittedly, not much is known about _how_ the neuro linker is able to pick up on an individual's sense of will, especially since the neuro linker can't pick up emotion as it does brainwaves, but it is widely believed that Brain Burst, through its meticulous scan of our brain, is able to gain some rudimentary understanding of our emotions. Regardless, this control system uses a burst linker's ability to strongly picture something happening to bring about a change in the environment. As this is closer to using one's imagination, the neuro linker is able to read this information. This is the core of the Incarnate System."

"So…the Incarnate System is…the ability to create things within Brain Burst?" I asked tentatively. I was a little overwhelmed at that moment. One second the guy before me was attacking me and, in the next, he was lecturing me about this new system.

"To an extent, yes," was the slightly annoyed response. "However, rather than change the environment, you are changing something about yourself. This could be in the form of a new way of fighting or even a new weapon for you to use. You are literally creating a new way for you to fight."

"And all I have to do is just imagine it?" I asked. This sounded way too good to be true.

"It's not that simple." It never is… "The system requires a fuel, of sorts. A source of energy to power the image you are seeking to create. That source being the very trauma that birthed your Duel Avatar."

Unease filtered through me at that. Even now, I can still remember the feeling of fear that came from the dream Brain Burst gave me. If that was the source of the Incarnate System…

"Ultimately, a burst linker's decision whether to believe in something or to despair is the key factor to the Incarnate System. Each time a burst linker uses incarnation, it draws them closer to the darkness of their own heart. The strain that it can cause on a burst linker's mind, making this ability incredibly dangerous."

He looked at me, his gaze boring a hole straight through me. "I won't lie, many haven't been able to handle the stress of utilizing their trauma like this. I doubt Ivory Paladin would think any less of you if you decided not to learn this skill."

A scowl made its way on my face, not that anyone could see it. I couldn't lie, the prospect of facing my trauma wasn't very appealing. That being said, I couldn't go back on my word to Ashton. No matter the cost, I would help him!

The resolve must have shown in my…expression(?) because the burst linker seemed to smirk. "Very well then. I will continue with my explanation. Now, in battle, by strongly picturing different ways to fight in your head, you can make that real. However, in pretty much all cases, these attacks are nothing that couldn't be done more easily by using tools your Duel Avatar already has. Take my blades for example."

He held out his arms, holding his staff aloft. He remained motionless for a moment before a familiar bright glow engulfed the pointed end. "That ability I showcased is, for lack of a better word, is an expansion of my firing range. In other words, the range of my attack increases. Hence the projectiles."

As he said this, he fired several projectiles from his staff. I gazed at the glowing weapons in amazement. "So, you use Incarnate to increase your range of attack."

"Exactly. Now, from what burst linkers have discovered, there are four types of expansions that Incarnate users are able to utilize: Firing Range Expansion, Movement Ability Expansion, Attack Power Expansion, and Armor Density Expansion. I'm sure you can understand what each does. However, a Burst Linker can only learn how to do two of these types. The two types they can learn are determined by the traits of the specific Duel Avatar, specifically the desire that gave birth to the Duel Avatar in the first place."

"I guess that makes sense considering that it uses a burst linker's trauma to that feeds this ability," I mused.

"Precisely." Was it my imagination or did he sound impressed? "Now, these techniques, unlike the normal special move, don't drain your Special Move Gauge. As I said, they feed off of your trauma, using either your despair and hope."

"Hope and despair?" I asked.

"Of course. While your trauma is the main source of the system, it is whether you choose to push past your trauma or wallow in it that determines the form in which your Incarnate ability takes."

"I see. So, it's all about how we choose to deal with our trauma!" I realized.

My…lecturer(?) nodded. "What's more is that someone's techniques can be divided into four quadrants of a coordinate plane. The X axis represents the 'breadth' of the Duel Avatar's imagination - whether their scars and desires are directed towards them self or towards the outside - and the Y axis represents whether the imagination used is born from hope or despair; though the abilities are originally born from one's scars, the difference is whether the individual turns that into hope or despair."

He paused in his speaking and held up four fingers for me to see. "There are four of these quadrants that deal with the type of move an Incarnate ability falls under. The first quadrant, which is in the upper-right, deals with area-targeted positive energy. The second is in upper-left quadrant and deals with single-target positive energy. The third quadrant, located in the lower-left, focuses on single-target negative energy. And finally, the fourth quadrant located in the lower-right, deals with area-targeted negative energy."

"Will knowing that really help me with using Incarnate?" I asked.

"Idiot, knowing everything about the Incarnate System is crucial for understanding how to use it! You would solve a math equation without knowing he proper formula, would you?!"

"…no…"

"Then stop asking stupid questions," he snapped. "Now, your first step in this training will be to determine what type of ability you have."

"What training will I be doing?" I asked, eager to start.

"Well, there are several methods in learning to use Incarnate. My method…may be considered…a little extreme."

My earlier eagerness began to slip away, replaced by an uneasy wariness. "What exactly is your method?"

I swear he was grinning after my question. "Allow me to show you." He raised his staff, this time pointing the purple orb at me. The jewel began to shine with an ominous glow and a heavy purple mist began to spill from it.

"Oh, and before I forget," he suddenly said as the smoke began to encompass me. "The name's Sulphur Nightmare. Pleasant dreams."

With those last smug words, my vision became spotty and my consciousness faded.

-Rise of the Dragon-

My eyes snapped open to a world of black. Confused, I slowly got to my feet, finding purchase in the seemingly empty abyss, while eyeing my surroundings (or rather, the lack thereof). It was at that moment that I realized that I was no longer Platinum Dragon.

"What the hell?!" I exclaimed aloud; looking down at my pale, fleshy arms. I had just been in the UNF just moments ago, so why was I in the real world. No, not the real world. I was in some kind of limbo!

I took a tentative step forward, half expecting to run into a random wall, but I was unimpeded. I walked for a bit, but my surroundings remained the exact same. "Where the hell am I?!" I shouted into the darkness. I received no answer. Part of me was relieved by that.

Okay, think Cadmus. How did I get here? Last thing I remembered I was talking with Sulphur Nightmare and then he waved his staff and a purple mist and then nothing. Maybe this was some kind of illusion. It would make sense. After all, Sulphur Nightmare was a yellow type meaning his primary abilities were most likely jamming related. But what could his…ability…be…?

Hold on. Sulphur Nightmare…

Nightmare…

I'm and idiot.

This is a nightmare!

No sooner had I come to this realization, the silence that I had immersed myself in, erupted into a cacophony of screams.

" _Worthless!_ "

" _Freak!_ "

" _Waste of space!_ "

I cried out, clutching my ears in an attempt to block out the deafening shouts. If anything, this only made it worse.

" _Hey you little creep!_ " I felt my blood chill at the familiar voice. Slowly, I raised my head and was met with the horrific sight of a larger than life Eric Cho.

The mohawked teen looked just as I remembered: A toxic green mohawk, sharp, cold, black eyes, and a sneer that could make milk curdle. The only difference was that he was practically three stories tall!

The giant's sneer deepened when he saw me looking at him. " _Hey! I'm talking to you freak!_ " he shouted. His voice boomed across the dark expanse, causing me to cry out once again. Momentarily stunned, I was unable to move out of the way as Eric's giant foot came down upon me.

"GAH!" I cried out in pain; my entire body was pinned underneath the giant bully's foot. The force wasn't enough to crush me, but my body was locked to the floor in an incredibly uncomfortable and painful position.

" _HA! Right where you belong! Underneath my foot like the bug you are!_ " Eric jeered. He leaned over impossibly low, his mouth right next to me body. " _'Cause that's all you are. A little bug with no hope in this world! You're nothing now and that's how you'll always be!_ "

I could only whimper in pain as the pressure increased on my body. Part of me knew that this was a nightmare, that this was all my imagination, but the pain…it felt all too real!

I gasped as the pressure became unbearable. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. I could only feebly struggle as Eric Cho laughed above me.

" _Cadmus._ "

I gasped, the pressure of Eric's foot leaving me. I inhaled deeply, trying to take in as much oxygen as I could, only to cough violently. The air…was frigidly cold.

" _Cadmus. Get off the ground. You're disgracing yourself!_ " My heart stopped at yet another familiar voice reached my ears. Standing directly in front of me, appearing as pristine as ever, was my sister.

Phoebe glared down at me in disdain. " _Don't make me repeat myself!_ " With a strangled yelp, I scrambled to my feet, my bones protesting with every movement. My sister scoffed in annoyance, her eyes frozen pools of disgust. " _You're hopeless._ "

"Ph-Phoebe…" I tried to call out to her, but it felt like my throat was constricting; my words freezing before they could leave me.

" _Could you be any more worthless. It's bad enough I have to support you, but could you at least do something to make it seem like I'm not wasting my time?_ "

I flinched at that; my eyes becoming ominously wet at her hurtful words. I tried to hide my tears, but Phoebe saw them. " _Are you crying? Pathetic. It was foolish of me to think you had any actual potential. You truly are a waste._ " With that, she turned away from me and began to walk away.

I tried to follow her, but found that I couldn't move. Looking down, ice had begun to creep up my legs, fixing me to my current spot. Once more, I tried to call out to her, but no words could escape my lips.

Phoebe turned her head slightly, leveling me with a final cold glare. " _Talk to me again when you make something of yourself._ " And then she was gone, leaving only the bitter cold heartbreak.

I silently wept, my tears freezing no sooner had the fell. The cold bit at my flesh, but I couldn't even feel it. The empty void grew heavier, surrounding me like a thick smoke. I felt numb, yet in pain at the same time. My mind was reeling, unable to process what was happening.

" _Cadmus,_ " a soft voice spoke behind me. I paused in my weeping. That voice… It sounded familiar…

I turned my head towards the voice and saw two hazy figures. They were too distorted to make out any distinguishing features, but I could tell they were a man and a woman. Then it hit me. The warmth they exuded.

I inhaled deeply, the familiar warmth the two figures exuded melted the ice holding me and wiped away the cold that had been clinging to me. I knew the two of them.

They were my parents.

The figures seemed to smile at my recognition. " _Hey sport,_ " my father said. The smooth yet strong tone of his voice was like music, lulling me to a state of comfort. " _You excited for today?_ "

" _I bet you are,_ " my mother gushed. " _It's your first time visiting an amusement park after all!_ "

Mom…her bubbly attitude and sunny nature…how I longed to feel it again. I fell to my knees, unable to support my body. I missed it so much. Both of them. I just wanted to sit there and bask in their warmth.

Then their words registered. And their warmth wasn't as comforting.

" _We're almost there, kiddo,_ " my dad said. " _Just a couple more miles._ "

Nonononono. Those words…

" _We'll be able to spend the whole day together!_ " my mom added. " _It's a shame Phoebe wasn't feeling well enough to join us today._ "

Those words…

" _It's alright,_ " my dad soothed, looking at my mother. " _We'll bring her back something nice._ "

…were the last words my parents ever spoke.

I tried to call out to them, but my voice was drowned out by the ensuing explosion.

I screamed. Flames erupted all around me, the heat scorching the air. The light was blinding, but I couldn't find it in me to look away from the fire. The same fire that took my parents away from me.

" _You did this!_ " my mother's voice screeched from behind the curtain of fire. " _You killed us!_ "

"N-No…" I denied. I didn't…I didn't kill them. I would never…

" _You should have died, not us!_ " My father's voice joined my mother's, sounding just as spiteful as my mother's.

"No…"

I couldn't react properly. My tears had burned away, though I doubt I could produce anymore. Everything…it all of the pain I was feeling, it was surrounding me, wrapping around me like a python. The fire encircled me seemed to grow darker and began to steadily close in on me. I couldn't feel my heart beat, just the numbing cold slowly leaking into my veins like poison.

" _It's all your fault!_ " the voice of my mother screamed.

" _Should have been you!_ "

" _What a waste of space._ " My sister's voice joined the others.

" _Freak!_ "

There was Eric.

" _Truly pathetic._ "

" _You'd think I'd actually want to be friends with you? Ha!_ "

Even Barnaby and Cecil…

All of them…All of them were…

…right.

The fire closed in, trapping me in a cocoon of dark flame. Below, the void I had been standing on started to give way, becoming more like mud than anything solid. I was sinking into the darkness, but I couldn't find it in me to care.

Around me, the voices continued to shout and jeer at me, each word like a separate knife to my unbeating heart. All of them were right. I was pathetic. I was a waste of space. I shouldn't be alive.

I had sunken well past my torso. The only thing not submerged was my head, but the void was beginning to reach up to pull me in. By that point, my eyes had closed, sending my vision into darkness. This was my life, a never-ending void hopeless despair. All I could do was accept it.

" _Are you done?_ "

My eyes snapped open. That voice…it was familiar. Who…?

" _Didn't you promise that you would do everything in your power to help me reach my goal?_ "

That voice…Ashton…

" _If you want to help me, then stand up. Stand up now and show me that I made the right call in trusting you!_ "

That's right…the reason I was hear. The reason I was going through all of this…was to help the one who saved from myself.

My eyes snapped open and the void tore away from me, replaced by a bright light that warmed me like the sun. I stood to my feet, a new kindling of determination burning within me. The words of my past, they hurt, but I wouldn't let them hold me down. Ashton, the one who saved me, I owed him everything, and for that…

I would even face my own nightmares!

-Rise of the Dragon-

My eyes opened to the look of Sulphur Nightmare standing over me. "Hmm…it would appear your abilities stem from _hope_. Though I can't tell which exact axis you fall under."

"You're an ass," I groaned as I groggily shook my head and sat up.

"I told you before, my method is not for the faint of heart," Sulphur Nightmare said disinterestedly. "However, you persevered. Now, we can begin."

"Begin?" I asked, pushing myself onto my feet.

"Your training." Sulphur Nightmare twirled his staff, the butt coming to face me.

-Rise of the Dragon-

It was still rather early in the afternoon when I returned from the UNF. Even so, mentally, I had been training with Sulphur Nightmare for hours. The only reason I returned was because Sulphur Nightmare didn't want me to be mentally strained after spending so much time in the UNF. I understood his reasonings, but even so, Ashton spoke of striking against _Advent's Fall_ soon. I had to learn the Incarnate System as soon as possible.

"Maybe if I did some more battles outside of the UNF," I mused. My thoughts were cut short when a notification screen appeared in my vision along with a buzz from my neuro linker.

Cecil was calling me. I was about to click 'accept' when I paused. I didn't have time. I had to get stronger for the impending battle. As much as I would love to talk to Cecil, I had to put all my focus on becoming strong enough to stand by Ashton.

With great reluctance, I clicked 'decline'. "Sorry, Cecil," I whispered. Taking a deep breath, I called out, "Burst Link!"


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Truth

Training with Sulphur Nightmare was rather different than what I was used to. It wasn't like level grinding in Brain Burst. I wasn't fighting other burst linkers or even NPC's. It was mainly meditation.

Up until that point, meditation had, in my mind, always been something that monks that trained high in the mountains did in order to reach enlightenment or something. I mean, sure, I've heard about people meditating in order to deal with stress issues, but I never even imagined that it could have training implications. Then again, Brain Burst wasn't exactly a conventional program so maybe meditation worked because of that?

Regardless, meditation took up most of my mornings in the UNF. I would sit there on the plateau, or whatever environment the stage decided shift to at the time, close my eyes and 'focus inward'. Sulphur Nightmare said that this was a key step in unlocking Incarnate's full potential. He said that I would have to use this practice in order to channel the positive energy that I needed to use Incarnate.

It was an odd way to train, and I admittedly fell asleep the first few times, but, after countless hours of remembering my trauma and why I was fighting, I made progress. Odd particles appeared in the corners of my vision, even when my eyes were closed. At first, I thought it was some kind of glitch, but Sulphur Nightmare said that they were something called 'Over Rays', a visual effect that only occurred when the Incarnate system was active.

At first, I had been elated, thinking that I could finally use Incarnate, but Sulphur Nightmare was quick to crush that fantasy. While I had been successful in unlocking the system, I was nowhere close to actually being able to use it in battle. For one thing, I still had no idea what expansion I fell under. It was supposed to do with how my duel avatar was created, or rather what part of my trauma my avatar was made to protect.

I suspected that Platinum Dragon was created the way it was due to my desire to protect myself from the cruelty that I had faced, but that could mean any number of things! It could mean that I had a desire to defend myself, meaning an Armor Density Expansion. It could mean that I wanted to be strong enough to face my oppressors, making an Attack Power Expansion logical. It could have also meant any number of possibilities depending on how you looked at it. As such, the only way to know what my ability was, was through trial and error.

So, after my morning meditation, Sulphur Nightmare would spar with me. Neither of us could use our special moves or techniques, only Incarnate skills, which, considering I couldn't use any, mainly consisted of me dodging my mentor's attacks. Unfortunately, this style of training had less than stellar results.

Admittedly, I had only been training with Sulphur Nightmare for a week, but, in UNF time, it was practically months! The most I could do was activate the Over Rays, but I gained no extra ability.

Understandably, I was getting frustrated. It was the seventh day, translating to several months in the UNF, and I had yet to make any progress. What's worse is that I never got the chance to actually rise in levels, meaning my current power level had become stagnant. The way I was now, there was no way that I would be any use to Ashton.

"Dammit!" I shouted, punching my fist against the frozen ground as if it would alleviate my mounting frustration.

"Did the ground do something to offend you?" the condescending voice of my current mentor questioned.

Barely withholding the growl that threatened to split through my lips. "Why am I not making any progress! We've been at this for months!"

"Technically it's been a week."

"You know what I mean!" I forcibly took a calming breath before turning to face Sulphur Nightmare. "Why haven't I been improving."

Sulphur Nightmare sighed irritably. Glancing up at the currently grey sky. Snow was currently falling over the now frozen peaks of the plateau, coating everything in a blanket of white. "Believe it or not, you are actually making progress. The few burst linkers that I know have learned to use Incarnate have taken much longer than yourself. Hell, most of the ones I know accidently activated it and had to train to fully utilize the system."

"Oh, yeah? And how many burst linkers do you know?" I asked snidely.

"Ivory Paladin for one," Sulphur Nightmare responded coolly.

That gave me pause. "Ivory Paladin took longer than me to use Incarnate?"

"Longer?" Sulphur Nightmare laughed; a deep and slightly gravely sound. "It took him a _ges_ to get it down. Nearly a year in game. Compared to him, you're a prodigy."

I could feel the heat start to build in my cheeks. I had never been considered _good_ at anything, let along a prodigy. Unless you counted _Slash and Dash_ , which I didn't considering it wasn't exactly something I could put on a resume. Then again, neither was Brain Burst.

"Don't let it go to your head," Sulphur Nightmare snapped. "You still have a ways to go."

I nodded, my earlier frustration abating slightly. Ashton, to just about everyone at Silver Oak, was the paragon of what a student should be. Intelligent. Wise. Popular. Everything that a person like me longed to be. So, hearing that I was in fact better at him in some facet pushed a little wind in my sails.

Confidence and determination welled within me when a thought occurred to me. Sulphur Nightmare had said that several burst linkers had accidently activated the Incarnate system. I didn't know why, but it reminded me of my first time in the UNF, when Barnaby and I were surrounded by members of _Advent's Fall_. In that moment, when I thought we were going to lose Brain Burst, my special move changed. Could that have been…

"What's got you so unfocused?" Sulphur Nightmare suddenly questioned, pulling me from my musings.

"I was just thinking…Incarnate is supposed to grant the user an ability built from their desire to aid them in battle, right?"

"Essentially. Though, technically, the ability doesn't always fit with a burst linker's duel avatar, meaning that it could be far weaker than one of their other abilities. However, due to the system's mechanics, only another Incarnate ability can block or repel an Incarnate ability," Sulphur Nightmare responded. I could practically see his frown. "Why do you ask?"

"Back when I first entered the Unlimited Neutral Field, my special ability changed into the breath-like attack most know about. Could that be due to the Incarnate System?"

"It…changed?" Sulphur Nightmare asked, sounding completely surprised. He placed a sharp digit on the tip of his chin. "A duel avatar suddenly evolving in some way, while rare, is not unheard of. Generally, it is due to an armament or the burst linker putting multiple upgrade points into a certain area. Special moves, however, tend to remain the same."

"So, it's not normal." It wasn't a question.

"No, it's not, but that doesn't mean that it was the Incarnate system that initiated this change," my mentor went on to explain. "As I previously explained, an Incarnate ability is _temporary_. Any ability or change that you gain will eventually fade, even though there is not a physical energy bar for it. Your _Platinum Roar_ is most likely not due to Incarnate."

"But its so powerful!" I argued. "Even as I am, I can do considerable damage to upper level players with it. I haven't even had to spend any upgrade points on it. It just gets stronger as I do. That can't be just a normal ability."

"Most abilities, even the standard ones like your claw and tail attacks, gain strength as you level up. It's only your core stats, and any other stats that you may have access to depending on your duel avatar's nature, that you can upgrade. That being said, it _could_ be that your initial desire at the time sparked some sort of change in your duel avatar, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is because of Incarnate."

Humming in response I began my warm-up stretches. Stretching, now that wasn't something that I thought would have any in game affects, but, surprisingly enough, I honestly felt refreshed and limber after completing the exercises. Then again, I suppose that the whole 'power of the mind' played a rather large role in all of this.

As I was performing my exercises, I could feel the stare of Sulphur Nightmare. This wasn't really off-putting. He was constantly watching me, pointing out mistakes or making corrections in my form, both during sparring and simple stretches. That being said, I could practically feel the intense curiosity of his gaze.

"Is there something I can help you with?" I asked allowed, not looking at him.

"…why are you trying so hard?" he asked after several seconds of silence.

I paused in my stretch. "Pardon?"

"Why are you pushing yourself so hard for this?" Sulphur Nightmare asked. "Most take their time with learning Incarnate, but you're rushing into it like a man possessed. Such tactics should not garner the results I'm seeing from you, yet you have somehow surpassed the point I thought you would reach at this point. So, why are you pushing yourself like this?"

Slowly, I stood up. I kept my gaze on the snow-covered ground, not answering right away. "Because I have to be useful."

My response seemed to confuse the burst linker. "Be…useful? What the hell do you mean by that?"

I turned around to face Sulphur Nightmare. "How much do you know about what's going on between the _Knights of Dawn_ and _Advent's Fall_?"

"Just that Ivory Paladin's wants to confront _Advent's Fall_ in the Unlimited Neutral Field." Sulphur Nightmare shrugged. "I don't know much more than that."

Pursing my lips, I mentally debated how much I wanted to tell him. "Well, _Advent's Fall_ is planning… _something_." Wow, that sounded lame out loud.

" _Something_?" he asked, sounding entirely unimpressed. " _Advent's Fall_ is after _something_."

"Yes," I said through gritted teeth. "They have a burst linker that can affect the real world with their ability."

"Really?" Sulphur Nightmare appeared to be taken aback. "How is that possible."

"Not sure," I confessed. "Something regarding their duel avatar's ability caused mechanical devices to glitch depending on where they are. They're the reason for all those glitches in traffic lights and random power outages that have been happening recently."

"That's…" he shook his head, clearly unable to believe what he was hearing. "An ability that can manipulate reality to such an extent… I'm surprised such an ability can even exist within the confines of Brain Burst."

"Yeah, well, that's what happens when you make a game that designs a person's character using their own desires. Eventually, there will be an ability that 'breaks the game', so to speak," I responded.

"Clearly. So, you want to use Incarnate so you can join Ivory Paladin in his attack on _Advent's Fall_ in order to stop this burst linker? How noble." I could hear the sarcastic bite in his voice, but there was also a nanogram of respect there too. "But why use Incarnate? Surely you'd be on an even standing as some of the other participating burst linkers."

"Ivory Paladin wanted me to learn it, and I don't blame him for it," I answered. "From what I've seen, that guild seems to prefer quantity over quality. They've got a lot of members, but only a few of them pose a large enough threat to cause us worry." My mind instantly flashed through those that I had encountered: Topaz Warlock, Brick Mortar…Gold Valkyrie, and… "Obsidian Seraph, especially."

"I take it that they're someone you want to beat personally?"

My fists clenched tightly without me noticing. I clearly remembered the sole instance I saw the leader of _Advent's Fall_. The feeling of crushing oppression and helplessness. The sheer difference in our power felt with only a single look. He could easily crush me without a second thought. I would stand absolutely no chance against such a foe.

"Yeah. Yeah, he is," I responded. "That's why I have to learn to use Incarnate. I have to be able to fight against that guy. So, Ivory Paladin doesn't have to," I whispered the last part, but Sulphur Nightmare still heard me.

He didn't say anything, but I could tell he was looking at me. I didn't say anything either. I didn't want to have to explain myself to him, so we just stood there in what was steadily becoming awkward silence. After an infuriatingly long time, Sulphur Nightmare finally broke the silence.

"Gah, dammit," he grunted in distress before shouting, "Dammit!"

"Sulphur Nightmare?" I asked, more than a little alarmed by his sudden outburst.

"I can't keep doing this!" he groused, seemingly not hearing me. "God damn self-sacrificing idiots! Why do that have to be so convincing?!"

I could only watch in confusion and no small amount of fear as the burst linker began pacing like a caged animal. He muttered furiously under his breath, seemingly cursing. Eventually, he swung towards me, causing me to flinch as I could feel the intensity behind his gaze.

"Dammit," he muttered before stomping over to me. When he was directly in front of me, he leaned down towards me. It was only then that the height difference between us was all the more noticeable. "Listen up, because I'm only going to say this once! This training…it's a farce!"

…huh?

"This whole training idea was all part of Ivory Paladin's plot," Sulphur Nightmare said.

"Yeah, so that I could learn how to use the Incarnate system," I said.

"That was only a happy byproduct," Sulphur Nightmare denied. "In the end, Ivory Paladin's true reason for wanting me to train you was to get you out of the way of the upcoming battle."

Ice shot through me like a dagger. "…what?"

"You heard me!" Sulphur Nightmare all but snarled. "He wanted you gone for the battle with _Advent's Fall_!"

"Wh-What? But…why…?" That couldn't be right. What Sulphur Nightmare was saying couldn't be true. Ashton wouldn't…

As if picking up on my denial, Sulphur Nightmare continued. "Don't you think it's odd that, after being so adamant about you not fighting that he would suddenly agree? Even if you learned a s _ingle_ ability?"

My eyes snapped to Sulphur Nightmare in confusion. How did he…

"He gave me the basic rundown of your conversation," he explained with a dismissive wave. "Regardless, he didn't want you involved in any way for the upcoming fight and he knew that you'd never agree with his decision. So…"

"He called you," I finished. Numbness creeped through me like a virus. I should have been angry. I should have felt _furious_ , but I wasn't. I wasn't even upset. I just felt disappointed. Disappointed in myself that I was too weak for Ashton to consider me as a potential ally for the final battle between our guild and Obsidian Seraph's.

"That's right. He wanted you out of the way so he and his allies could storm _Advent's Fall's_ base."

"…how long has he known where their base is?"

"About two days now," Sulphur Nightmare responded

The frigid knife in my heart sunk a little deeper. "And how long until they attack."

Sulphur Nightmare turned his head, unable to look me in the eye any longer. "There is no time. By now, they've already begun their attack."

Well…that's that. It was already too late. I couldn't help Ashton fight Obsidian Seraph. My reason for learning Incarnate…was gone.

"For what it's worth, I'm sure you would have done well in the battle." I could hardly hear Sulphur Nightmare's words. I'm sure he was trying to console me, but it was nothing but static in my ears.

The strength in my legs waned as I struggled to remain standing. Ashton lied to me. He didn't see me as someone capable of fighting alongside him. I was just dead weight to him. Even after all my training, after all my successes and exploits, Ashton didn't see me as someone he could rely on. It was that fact that hurt the most. It was that fact that crushed me.

Movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention. Sulphur Nightmare was moving towards me, his body language reading concerned. He seemed to be saying something, but it sounded garbled, as if I was hearing him through water. It was only when he grabbed me and threw me to the ground that I snap back to reality. Before I could shout in surprise and question the burst linker's actions, a black mass smashed directly into the spot I was standing.

"Oh, it would seem that I missed."

My heart stopped for just a moment at the familiar voice. From my position on the ground, I looked up and saw a strange stingray-like being, nearly twelve feet in length, flying towards us. On its back were two figures that I had hoped I would never encounter again.

Topaz Warlock and Gold Valkyrie.

The odd creature, that could only be an NPC, flew directly overhead, depositing its passengers. The duo landed a few yards away from us, their landing muffled by the snow. The moment they did, the cold air became practically frigid. The gravity seemed to grow heavy as the tension between our two groups steadily rose.

I broke out into a cold sweat; my heart rate begging to quicken. Why were they here? No. That didn't matter. What mattered was what they were here for, and that much was clear. They came for a fight.

Ever so slowly, I widened my stance and turned my body so that I was partially sideways. Across from me, both Topaz Warlock and Gold Valkyrie tensed, preparing for me to make the first move. I swallowed the lump growing in my throat, remembering everything I knew about how they fought, which in the case of Topaz Warlock, wasn't much. Just as I steeled my nerve and was preparing to attack, Sulphur Nightmare stepped forward.

"Members of _Advent's Fall_ , I presume? He spoke in such a casual manner that it actually caught me off guard. Didn't he not realize the situation? Apparently, I wasn't the only one caught off-guard by Sulphur Nightmare's blasé demeanor.

Topaz Warlock visibly started and, if I were able to see his eyes, I'm sure they would be wide and full of confusion. "Y-Yes. Of course we are!" The gem colored burst linker seemed to regain his composure. "We were sent here to deal with Platinum Dragon before he could interfere in the battle."

My gaze narrowed even as my blood ran cold. "You know about the attack?"

"Of course!" Topaz Warlock said sounding far too smug for my liking. "Just as we knew where you would be at this very moment while your… _friends_ are off fighting a futile battle. After all…" I was sure his smile was reaching monstrous proportions. "…it's only natural that a Parent keeps a watchful eye over their Child."

My breathing began to grow haggard. My brain felt fuzzy; my thoughts becoming blurred and disoriented. The way he was speaking…The way he worded that… Could it be that…Ashton _betrayed_ me?

No, that wasn't it. Ashton wouldn't betray me like that. Not after he had gone to such lengths to ensure that I wouldn't be anywhere near the battle. No, he wasn't referring to Ashton, but then what…

The answer hit me like a truck. "Obsidian Seraph…he bugged Asht- _Ivory Paladin's_ neuro linker!"

"Ding-Ding-Ding! We have a winner!" Topaz Warlock shouted like he was a game show host, though with a more substantial amount of sarcasm. "Oh, no need to use his duel avatar's name. The entirety of our guild knows Ashton Calloway's true name. Just as we know yours, Cadmus Markos."

A shiver ran down my spine as his slimy tongue pronounced my name. He wasn't just saying my name, he was telling me all the wicked things he wished to due for the sole purpose of making me suffer. Next to him, I saw Gold Valkyrie twitch slightly, her hand tightening around her weapon. Topaz Warlock noticed this action.

"Something you wish to say, Valkyrie?"

"Kindly keep my brother's name from your mouth," she responded coldly. "I would hate to have to silence you myself."

"Oho! Acting like an older sibling now, are we?" Topaz Warlock laughed jeeringly. "It's a little too late if you ask me, considering you've been tasked with uninstalling your dear brother's Brain Burst app."

Gold Valkyrie didn't respond, and I was glad she didn't. It would make it more difficult to fight her. I had already long since resigned myself that Gold Valkyrie was an enemy, but it didn't make the thought of fighting her any easier. Thankfully, I wouldn't have to do it alone.

Sulphur Nightmare fell in line with me, drawing his staff. "I've never been a fan of direct confrontation, given the nature of my duel avatar, but it is clear that I have no choice in the matter."

"You could leave," Topaz Warlock suggested. "We have no real quarry with you. Should you leave, I promise we won't hunt you down."

Sulphur Nightmare just laughed cruelly. "Now, I wouldn't be a very good mentor if I just let the one I'm teaching fall before me."

I would never admit it, least of all to Sulphur Nightmare, but those words warmed me up a bit. Instead, I just readied myself for what, up until that point, I could only assume to be the fight of my life.

 **Author's Note:**

So, I was planning on making this chapter actually go into the fight, if not finish it, but I really didn't want to take away from the impact of this fight. Sorry, but you guys will have to wait a bit for the decisive battle between the Markos siblings. Once again, thank you for all your continued support. Hopefully, it won't be too long before I post another chapter.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Battle of Blood

Gold Valkyrie was the first to move. She lunged forward, poised to thrust her spear towards Sulphur Nightmare, most likely seeing him as the larger threat, but I moved to intercept. Seeing me, the gold burst linker pivoted mid dash, spinning around to swipe at me with her spear. I managed to duck under her weapon and I attempted to grab it, but she backed away before I could. I could feel her icy glare behind her avatar's eyes and I returned it in full. I would not be cowed by her.

Our impromptu staring match didn't last long as, from the corner of my eye, I saw Topaz Warlock brandish a rod about the size of Topaz Warlock's forearm. With a flick of his wrist, a long rope of flames erupted from the tip and shot towards me at alarming speed. I dove to the side as the fire swung above me, coiling in a loop and tightening in the empty air where I had just stood. With a growl, I dashed towards the wizard-like burst linker, slashing at him with my claws.

To my chagrin, the yellow burst linker was available to avoid my attack with a slightly strangled yelp. He then swung the arm holding the rod, causing the line of flame that was still connected to the weapon to follow his movement, lashing at me like a whip. Once again, I dove to the side, causing the whip to strike the ground, leaving a visible gouge mark in the rock. Before I could retaliate, I had to dodge once more as Gold Valkyrie attempted to stab me.

Just as I was starting to feel the pressure of fighting two enemies at once, I was relieved when Sulphur Nightmare joined in. In a blur, my ally appeared next to Gold Valkyrie, swinging his staff at her as she was momentarily preoccupied with me. His attack struck her across the side of her head, both causing her to stumble and giving me the opportunity to slam into her mid-section with my tail.

The metal colored burst linker coughed harshly as she was flung across the plateau, the air having been forcibly removed from her lungs. I had no time to celebrate as Topaz Warlock was quick to strike. Like the snake he was, he lunged forward, swinging the rope of fire like a whip at my exposed back.

I cried out in pain as the flames seared across my back. It didn't end there as the flames wrapped around my torso like a snake, pinning my arms to my side. I my cry became a full-blown scream as the searing heat spread across my torso. I attempted to struggled against the rope of flames, but they were strong enough to keep me bound. That or they had some kind of weakening effect to them. Topaz Warlock, who seemed to take pleasure in my cries, tugged at the weapon in his hand, causing me to stumble as the flames pulled at me.

"Keep sharp!" Sulphur Nightmare called out, swinging his staff and cutting the rope and dissipating the fire.

"Thanks," I rasped out, relieved that the burning pain was quickly receding. Without further preamble, I shot out a small _Platinum Roar_. Not the usual torrent of energy that I usually used that, but a small, short blast that only took up a small amount of my special move gauge.

The short blast smashed into Topaz Warlock, erupting in a small explosion that caused him to cry out in pain as he was sent to the ground. Just before I could pounce on the downed burst linker, a sudden spear crossed my vision, forcing me to move to the side.

Gold Valkyrie lunged at me with primal ferocity, doing her best to skewer me with her weapon. I sidestepped, ducked, and practically threw myself out of the way of her attacks, but she was relentless in her attacks. Sulphur Nightmare attempted to intercede, but Gold Valkyrie's skill with a polearm proved to be more than a match for Sulphur Nightmare's minimal staff skills.

I attempted to help, swiping my claws at her while she was defending against Sulphur Nightmare's attacks, but she was too fast. Each time I would attempt to attack her she would spin around and guard and begin to fight me. Then she would do the same whenever Sulphur Nightmare would attempt to strike her.

I mentally cursed as I dodged yet another spear thrust. The skill Gold Valkyrie was displaying far out exceeded the skills of the average burst linker. She must have trained outside of Brain Burst extensively to reach this level. Yet she never displayed such capability when we fought back at the hospital. Was she…had she been holding back?

I forced those thoughts from my mind and focused on the task at hand. Gold Valkyrie was strong, there was no denying that, but even the most experienced of fighters would be hard-pressed to fight against two opponents. Eventually, she would make a mistake and I would have to capitalize on it.

That moment came rather quickly as Gold Valkyrie overextended her arm as she thrust her spear. Remembering one of the few moved Barnaby taught me when I was learning martial arts, I sidestepped around her and grabbed her arm before she could retract it. Keeping a firm grip on the limp I tugged down and to the side, forcing Gold Valkyrie to stumble forward. I then straightened her arm and pressed my other arm just above her elbow. A perfect armbar.

With a satisfied, if not a bit tired, grin, I opened my mouth to demand her surrender when something smashed into the side of my shin. Caught off guard, I stumbled and my grip slackened. She then wrenched her arm free of my hold before spinning around and planting a swift, but strong, kick straight to my chest.

Still off balance, I fell from the sudden impact. However, I got the last laugh as my tail lashed out at the last moment, catching her leg and pulling it out from under her. She fell with a resounding thud half a second after I did.

As I was getting up, Sulphur Nightmare swung his staff down upon Gold Valkyrie, but she managed to bring up her spear to block. Both of them grunted and growled as they tried to overpower the other, but they seemed to be at a stalemate. I finally got to my feet and I was about to join in when the ground suddenly began to shift.

The ground cracked and groaned underneath our feet before large, black, writhing tentacles erupted from the ground, about five in total. The tentacles thrashed wildly, swinging at everything at once. Being on my feet, I was able to dodge them, but Sulphur Nightmare and Gold Valkyrie weren't so lucky. The tentacles smashed into their bodies, throwing them across the plateau.

"What the hell, Warlock?!" Gold Valkyrie demanded as she rolled out of the way of one of the thrashing appendages.

"Oops. My bad," Topaz Warlock said, not sounding apologetic in the slightest. He raised the rod, which was glowing with a ominous purple glare, seemingly causing the tentacles to lash out at an even faster rate.

The three of us were forced to dance out of the way or be crushed by the writhing tentacles, all the while Topaz Warlock laughed maniacally. "Yes! Dance! Dance monkeys!"

Jeez, he sounded like some kind of stereotypical movie villain. Unfortunately, there wasn't much I could do to defend against the attacks. I needed at least several seconds to charge up _Platinum Roar_ or even my burst shots and every time I tried to claw at them, they would curl in on themselves and strike me before I got close.

Gold Valkyrie appeared to be having an easier time with dealing with the tentacles with her weapon having more reach than my claws. She was able to strike at the tentacles much more effectively. Maybe it was because Topaz Warlock was purposefully making it easier for her, but I somehow doubted that. Sulphur Nightmare on the other hand…

"Screw this!" Sulphur Nightmare suddenly shouted. He spun his staff around, aiming the sharp side at the tentacle before him. A familiar bright light encompassed the end of the staff before shooting several glowing darts at the appendage.

The light cut straight through the tentacles, seemingly feeling no resistance as it passed through the appendage. The second the arrow of light passed through it, the tentacle went rigid before dispersing in a flash of dark purple light. Sulphur Nightmare repeated the action several times, ridding the plateau of the tentacles.

"Incarnate," Topaz Warlock growled angrily, taking a step back.

"Surrender!" Sulphur Nightmare shouted, slowly shifting his weapon between Topaz Warlock and Gold Valkyrie; silently daring them to move.

I could practically hear Topaz Warlock grinding his teeth in aggravation. He eyed Sulphur Nightmare's glowing weapon warily, seemingly weighing his options. I was immediately on guard when I noticed his body sag, as if he were relieved about something.

"Fool, your little glowstick doesn't mean shit!" he shouted, stowing away the rod. He brought his hands together as if for a prayer and began mumbling something to himself.

I frowned. What the hell was he doing? Was he giving himself a pep talk or…something…

"Oh, crap! Nightmare!" I shouted to my ally. "He's trying to use—"

My words were lost as a violet miasma began to pour off of the burst linker, coalescing above his head. Sulphur Nightmare send arrow of light at Topaz Warlock but the cloud suddenly solidified into an arm. Specifically, a skeletal arm.

The rest of the cloud solidified revealing a large skeleton, or rather the torso of a large skeleton, that hovered just over top of the yellow colored burst linker, draping over him almost like it was protecting him.

The creature, lifted its head, staring at both Sulphur Nightmare and myself. Its jaw snapped open and, with a silent roar, swung its arm towards us. We both managed to jump away in time, leaving the skeletal arm to smash into the ground where we had just stood, the hard-stone cracking underneath it.

"What the hell is that?!" I exclaimed, more out of surprise than an actual desire for an answer.

"His Incarnate ability," Sulphur Nightmare grunted. "Most likely a defensive type seeing how its hovering over him like that, but capable of dealing powerful hits. This will make things difficult."

Seeing our apparent shock, Topaz Warlock began to cackle. "Behold, my true power. The power that none aside from our leader has been able to summon forth. Incarnate!" he exclaimed dramatically; his previous bluster having returned. "An ability fueled by my own desire for destruction. An unstoppable golem! Tell me, what will you do now?!"

I looked to Sulphur Nightmare for direction, hoping beyond hope that he could think of something that would get us out of this. I was, however, surprised to see that he was completely calm.

"That is a rather tricky ability though perfect for a coward like you," Sulphur Nightmare said to Topaz Warlock as he deactivated his own ability, much to my shock. "However," he continued, his tone taking on a much more sinister quality. "Even with all that physical defense, it will do you no favors against mental attack."

As he spoke, a red mist began to seep out of his staff and began heading towards Topaz Warlock. Alarmed, Topaz Warlock stepped back. His skeletal golem swung its claws at the mist, but it did nothing. The mist suddenly increased in speed and encompassed the wizard-like burst linker. At first, I thought he would fall asleep like I had when we had first met, but Topaz Warlock showed no sign that he about to lose consciousness. In fact, he didn't appear phased at all.

"Yellow colored duel avatars, as I'm sure you are aware, deal with jamming or hindering their opponents, typically through indirect attacks," Sulphur Nightmare explained, not appearing concerned that his attack was seemingly doing nothing. "Even your abilities are based more on slowing down your opponents rather than actually damaging them. That being said, you can still do damage."

"What's your point?!" Topaz Warlock snapped, his earlier fear of Sulphur Nightmare's attack fading.

"My _point_ is that I have no such ability," Sulphur Nightmare said. As he spoke, the red mist began to get pulled back into his staff. "All my abilities deal with rendering an opponent immobile while an ally deals the damage. All save for one. My strongest ability."

The red mist full receded into the sphere on top of Sulphur Nightmare's staff. The orb pulsed bright red several times before turning pitch black. "Now, witness why I am called Nightmare!"

The sphere pulsed once before a thick, black smoke began to curl out of the staff. Like the mist that had come from Topaz Warlock just seconds ago, the smoke began to writhe and coalesce into a shape. A very familiar shape. In a matter of seconds, Obsidian Seraph had appeared before us.

"Ob-Obsidian Seraph!" Topaz Warlock practically squeaked, scrambling back from the visage of his guild's master. Not that I blamed him. The being that Sulphur Nightmare had summoned was truly terrifying.

At first glance, the form was just as it appeared: a duplicate of Obsidian Seraph, but there were two distinct differences. For one, the visage was nearly twice the size of the original Obsidian Seraph, standing well over nine feet tall. The second thing was that he looked…sharper?

When I first saw Obsidian Seraph, aside from the sheer terror that he seemed to exude, his duel avatar looked sleek. His armor, while sparse and borderline skeletal, was smooth and rounded. The sole exceptions being his claws and he crest on his head. This Obsidian Seraph, however, was, for lack of a better word, pointy.

All of its joints ended in sharp barbs. Its claws were proportionally longer than the original and a second set was on its feet. Its crest too was much longer and curved ever so slightly. However, Sulphur Nightmare's most terrifying feature was its face.

Where Obsidian Seraph was faceless, this visage had a mouth. A wide, tooth filled maw that was stretched into a wide, hideous grin. The image stared at Topaz Warlock, its grin appearing to widen as it stared at its prey.

"Your greatest fear is your own leader," Sulphur Nightmare commented, sounding genuinely surprised.

"My fear…" Topaz Warlock muttered. The burst linker froze for a moment, his entire body going rigid. His curled into tight fists, his entire body beginning to shake. "This…it's my fear? That's all?!"

Topaz Warlock gave an almost primal roar and he thrust his hand forward, his ominous puppet responding to his movement and lashing out with its arm to strike at the illusion. "If that's just my fear, then it's nothing but an illusion!" he shouted, sounding almost deranged. "A stupid illusion won't stop—"

The altered Obsidian Seraph raised up its hand and caught the skeleton's.

"—me?"

Sulphur Nightmare seemed to smirk at this. "As I'm sure you can see, this is no mere illusion," he said.

"H-How?" Topaz Warlock stuttered, once more stepping back in apparent shock and horror. That feeling did not last long as anger and indignation pushed itself to the forefront. "Even if this is an ability and not some kind of illusion, it shouldn't be able to stop an Incarnate ability!"

Sulphur Nightmare chuckled. "That's the thing. Incarnate abilities, at the core, are no different than a duel avatar's normal abilities. The only difference is that they are powered by actual emotion rather than a simple program. The latter of which is incapable of compensating for human emotion, leaving no defense against attacks fueled by emotion. That's where my ability comes into play."

Sulphur Nightmare twirled his staff casually, never once taking his eyes off Topaz Warlock. "This ability, _Nightmare Fuel_ , reaches into the targets mind and takes what they fear the most and give it form. The more the target fears the form, the stronger it is, making it an odd loophole to the Incarnate System."

I openly gaped at Sulphur Nightmare. That was…a _really_ broken ability.

"Impossible!" Topaz Warlock shouted angrily. "An ability that can match Incarnate shouldn't exist!"

"There are hundreds of burst linkers, meaning hundreds of duel avatars, each with their own unique abilities. It's not hard to imagine that there are some incredibly powerful abilities out there, as I'm sure you and your guild are aware of."

As Sulphur Nightmare spoke, the warped Obsidian Seraph, which had been holding onto Topaz Warlock's skeleton, suddenly thrust its arm forward, throwing Topaz Warlock's creation backwards, causing the summoner to jump to the side in order to avoid being crushed. As this happened, Sulphur Nightmare turned to me.

"I'll handle this guy," he said, gesturing to Topaz Warlock. "Think you can handle the other one?"

I glanced towards Gold Valkyrie, who had been standing still up until that point. No, there was no way I could handle her by myself. She outclassed me in every avenue. If we fought, I would almost certainly lose.

"Yeah. I got her." I really hate myself sometimes.

Sulphur Nightmare nodded and turned back to his opponent. "Then I'll leave it to you. Try not to die, I'd hate to have to keep these two at bay for an hour waiting for you to respawn." With that, he stalked away, moving towards Topaz Warlock and his golem, leaving me alone with my sister.

Gold Valkyrie and I stared at one another for the longest time. A ways away from us, the battle between Sulphur Nightmare and Topaz Warlock waged on, but neither of us paid it any mind.

Looking at her, I saw that her armor was slightly battered from the tentacles that Topaz Warlock had summoned, but other than that, she looked pristine. She was tense, however. Unlike the previous times we had fought, she was lax; confident. But now, she seemed to be more…anxious.

No, that's not right. She seemed hesitant.

She gripped her spear tightly, her entire demeanor screaming frustration. "Give up, Cadmus. We both know you can't beat me."

My gaze narrowed, but I said nothing.

"Don't you see that it's pointless?!" she exclaimed, clearly growing frustrated from my lack of response. "You couldn't beat me before, what makes you think you can now?!"

I still didn't respond.

"This isn't a game, Cadmus! You're going to get hurt! Just let me uninstall Brain Burst from your neuro linker and—"

"And what?!" I interrupted, unable to maintain my silence. "Go back to how things were before? No way in hell!"

"Cadmus…" Gold Valkyrie began, but I wouldn't let her finish.

"You hypocritical jerk!" I roared. "Do you have any idea what it was like for me?! To be constantly bullied?! To be put down time and time again with no one to turn to?! That's what my life was like before Brain Burst! And you want to take that away from me? The hell with that!"

"Stop being a brat!" Gold Valkyrie snapped, losing all semblance of composure. "This is for your own good!"

"Who the hell are you to say if something is for my own good?!" I screamed, lunging forward as I did. I swiped my claw at her, but she was able to jump out of the way. "Ever since Mom and Dad died, you were never there! You were cold and distant, acting as if I was nothing more than a burden to you."

I swung again, this time catching the shaft of her spear as she raised it to block. "You never cared before, so why the hell do you now?!"

"Never cared…?" she repeated, her voice oddly blank. In a flash, she swung her spear, sending me skidding back. Hardly given time to regain my footing, I was forced to defend against a near blinding onslaught.

"How dare you, you ungrateful brat!" Gold Valkyrie shouted. "Never cared? Are you stupid?! I've never not cared about you!"

I winced at a particularly forceful strike from her spear. Gold Valkyrie had all but abandoned her previous attack pattern. Now she was just swinging and thrusting her spear with no rhyme or reason. "Everything I've done has been for you!" She continued to scream even as she attacked me. "I sent you money for food every day. I made sure you had a place to sleep! I constantly checked in on you! I made sure you kept your grades up! I did everything for you!"

"You were never there!" I shouted back, doing my best to defend against Gold Valkyrie's attack. "You were supposed to be a guardian! Someone who actually looked after me rather than act like a sponsor! You should have been there for me like a parent!"

"I couldn't!" she snapped back. "I didn't have the time to watch you 24/7!"

"Yes, because you had your own schooling!" I sneered, ducking under one of her wide swings, raking my claws across her midsection as I did so.

"It was more than just that!" She thrust her spear at my face, forcing me to lean to the side, the tip just grazing my cheek. "Do you think the money just came from nothing?! I had to work on top of being a student! I never had any time for you!"

"So, I you admit I wasn't worth your time!" I threw a punch this time, catching the gold-colored burst linker's shoulder. "I was never important enough for you to give a damn! Just another inconvenience to your perfect little world!"

"I never said that!" she denied, forgoing using her spear and punching me in the face.

"You didn't have to!" I shouted, landing a punch of my own. "Your actions have consequences! Didn't Mom tell you that?!" I sneered.

Gold Valkyrie gave a wordless screech, abandoning all decorum as she kicked me in the chest. I fell to the ground with a breathless wheeze. I forced myself to roll to the side as Gold Valkyrie descended upon me, her spear piercing the ground where I just was. As I came to a stop, I kicked her leg out from under her, sending her to the ground. Before she could get up, I slammed my tail into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. With a grunt, she threw my tail off of her, jumping to her feet at the same moment as I did.

"Don't you dare bring them into this!" Gold Valkyrie snarled.

"And why shouldn't I?! How do you think they would feel if they knew their daughter was cold and unfeeling towards her own brother?!" I asked, taking savage pleasure in my comment.

"They would be proud that I'm doing whatever I can to care for my ungrateful brat of a brother!" she declared. "Why else do you think I'm using this app?!"

Everything stopped. The loud crashes and shouts coming from the battle between Sulphur Nightmare and Topaz Warlock faded to the background, leaving only me and Gold Valkyrie.

"What was that?" I asked, finally finding my voice.

"You heard exactly what I said," Gold Valkyrie growled. Despite the anger in her voice, her entire body slumped slightly. All the fight leaving her. "Do you really think I could pay for both college and your necessities with simple part time job?" She gave a humorless chuckle. "There's no way I would be able to do that at minimum wage."

"Then…?" What was she saying?

"If it wasn't for Advent's Fall and Obsidian Seraph, we'd both be on the streets," she said, answering my unasked question. "He found me when I was still in high school. He heard about my struggles and offered me money if I helped him with a project. At the time, I had no idea what he was talking about, but I was desperate. The money Mom and Dad left us was running out. I had no other choice."

"So, you joined _Advent's Fall_ ," I stated. She joined them, she did all of this, for me? "I…"

"Don't you see, Cadmus? I would do anything for you," she said, her head bowed. I could hear the emotions choking her voice. "You're all I have left. I would give my soul to the devil himself if it meant keeping you safe."

She raised her head and, while I couldn't see her real eyes, I knew she was crying. "So, please, Cadmus…let me delete your Brain Burst app!" she pleaded. "Let me do my job and keep you safe!"

At that moment, I felt my resolve begin to crumble. All this time, I had closed off my heart towards my sister. I believed that she had cast me aside, only bothering to send me money out of necessity. I had all but accepted that we would never be the family I so desperately craved. That she was no longer my sister, but now…

My hands twitched, but I couldn't form fists. I wanted to fight, but I couldn't. No matter how deep I searched within myself, I couldn't find the will to raise a hand towards Gol—Phoebe.

I couldn't fight my sister anymore.

"Phoebe, I—" My voice got caught in my throat.

"Please, let me be a big sister to you and I promise you, I'll do everything in my power to be there for you. More than I have been in the past," she promised.

There were no lies in her voice. She was serious. She truly meant what she had said.

I'll be honest, I wanted to listen to her. I wanted to allow her to get rid of my Brain Burst. To forget everything from these past few months for the chance to start again with my sister. I really did. I so desperately wanted to.

But I couldn't.

Images flashed through my mind. My first battle with Midnight Samurai, how scared I had been then how confident and powerful I had felt when I managed to win. Moments between Barnaby and I; how we reconciled out relationship and strengthened our bond to the point that I would call him a friend. Then Ashton…how he stood there in my darkness and pulled me to the light. Giving me the confidence to face the world. I couldn't…I wouldn't forget any of that.

"I'm sorry," I whispered just loud enough so that Phoebe could here me. Before she could respond, I lunged at her.

Catching her off guard, I slammed into her, pinning her arms so that she couldn't swing her spear. Pushing past my self hatred for what I was about to do, I snapped my jaws open and bared down at her. I could her gasp marginally, furthering my guilt, but I didn't stop the flow of power rushing to my mouth.

"I'm sorry," I repeated, my voice not hindered by the flowing energy in my duel avatar's mouth, "but I can't give up Brain Burst. I can't forget everything I've gone through. Not when its all made me so much stronger. I hope you can forgive me."

I couldn't see her eyes, but I was sure they held bitter acceptance. With that, I closed my eyes and unleashed my attack.

Her body was ripped from my grasp, her hardy armor being able to withstand my attack without being completely shredded. She was flung across the plateau, her body falling over the edge and out of sight as my attack ended. I had won.

Then why did I feel so terrible?

"Platinum Dragon!" I turned, seeing Sulphur Nightmare rushing towards me, his form heavily battered and dented.

"Sulphur Nightmare." My voice sounded dead, completely devoid of any emotion. If Sulphur Nightmare heard this, he gave no indication.

"I've dealt with Topaz Warlock for the moment, but he's proving to be a lot hardier than I first anticipated," he said, glancing back at the area he had just come from. Following his gaze, I saw his mirage, or whatever it was called, still fighting against Topaz Warlock and his skeleton. "You need to get to Ivory Paladin while you can."

"But how can I get there?" I asked. "I don't even know where the battle is."

"I'll send you the location," he said dismissively, opening his own menu. "As to how you get there…"

There was a brief flash of light before a whistle appeared in his hand. Without pause, he brought the whistle to his lips, or where his lips _should_ have been, and a sharp tone echoed over the plateau. A second passed before a shriek echoed in response.

From above, a large metallic bat descended from the sky, landing in front of us. Now up close with the creature, I could see that it was indeed an NPC. Its entire body was covered in a thick layer of dark steel. It had a long, reptilian tail that ended in an almost fan shaped feather. Its eyes glowed a bright blue and, unlike the other NPC's, there was no feral hatred or animosity. They just looked at blankly. On its back was a large saddle.

"A tamed NPC?" I questioned.

Sulphur Nightmare nodded, already ushering me to the side of the creature. "Take it and get to Ivory Paladin and everyone else. Something tells me they're going to need your help."

"What about you?" I asked as I climbed on top of the creature.

"I'll keep these guys from following," he replied. "With how much damage I've taken, there's not much else I can do."

I nodded, settling into the saddle. I had never ridden anything in my life, so this would be an experience. The creature shifted underneath me, fluttering its wings as it prepared to take flight.

"Platinum Dragon," Sulphur Nightmare called, gaining my attention. "You are on the cusp of unlocking your own Incarnate ability. As cliché as it sounds, believe in yourself and you will be able to achieve things you never believed possible."

I nodded solemnly. No words needed to be said. My task was set. I had to get to Ashton and protect him from _Advent's Fall_.

As if sensing my desire, the creature shrieked and took to the air, the plateau becoming a dot in several seconds. It was odd; flying. It was like weightless, cutting through the sky, gravity no longer able to chain me to the ground. It would have been exhilarating and freeing, if not for the two ton chain of guilt that kept me tied to Phoebe.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

The Knights Will Rise

On any other occasion, flying through the sky at breakneck speeds would be exhilarating and terrifying. The wind blowing across my face, the scenery becoming nothing but a blur of color. It would have been incredible. Like a roller coaster. Just…without the safety belts, but I hardly noticed any of it. My mind was far too preoccupied to feel any sort of thrill from flying.

My heart was stuck in my throat, the entire time. I've fought before, countless times since downloading Brain Burst, but this felt different. With each passing moment, feeling of dread continued to build up within me, like I was walking to my grave. Was this what it was like to go to war?

A shaky sigh escaped my lips. I was taking things _way_ out of proportion. Why was I getting so worked up? This was a game. A literal fighting game with an intricate movement and combat system, real time controls, no pain filter, and potentially real-world altering mechanics…

"Yeah, nothing real about any of this," I muttered to myself. Had I not been precariously perched on this flying creature, I would have been tempted to lean forward, bury my face in my hands, and scream.

I had talked all confident just minutes ago when I was facing Phoebe, but now…I guess that was all adrenaline. Now that I had a moment to unwind, the reality of the situation was bearing down on me. In a matter of minutes, I would be descending in on a battle between those with far more combat experience than I did and were higher levels. Yes, I had a powerful special move, but that would only get me so far. I didn't even master Incarnate before I left. Was there really anything I could do, especially against an opponent like Obsidian Seraph. Maybe Phoebe was right: maybe I was in way over my head.

Oh, Phoebe. That was another can of worms that I'd have rather left closed. The whole situation revolving around her ate at me like a parasite. After all this time, all these years of resenting her, it turned out that she cared for me after all. Everything she had done had been for me, she put herself through so much, for me, and yet…all I did was throw it all back in her face. I truly was an ungrateful brat.

A jarring screech from my mount caused me to jump. The NPC glanced up at me, its piercing eyes seemingly asking what I was doing? Had it sensed my bleak thoughts like a dog?

"Snap out of it, Cadmus!" I snapped, slapping my cheeks, the metallic clang snapping me out of my thoughts. I had to stay confident. I wasn't the same scared little boy that I had been when I first started out. I was a burst linker and a member of the _Knights of Dawn_ guild to boot. I could do this.

The creature gave a grunt before turning back to the skies in front of it. I small grin stole its way across my face. Who knew NPC's could be so empathetic?

Taking a deep breath, I too turned my attention forward, choosing to enjoy the remainder of my journey rather than dwell on what was to come. Probably not the best thing to do when essentially heading to war, but if I felt like if I didn't, I'd just sink back into depressing thoughts. Unfortunately, far quicker than I would have liked, I reached my destination.

I heard the battle long before I saw it. Distant explosions cut through the sounds of turbulent wind. As we drew closer, I began to see small flashes of life past the demolished buildings of the Apocalyptic Stage (when had the Transition occurred?). I could even begin to make out the assorted shouts of battle.

"That's got to be the place," I said, more to myself than to the creature I was riding. "Let's go!" The creature gave a shriek in affirmation and raced towards the sounds of battle.

The sounds and flashes intensified as we drew closer and closer to the source. Rounding around a broken building, I saw my first glimpse of what I was about to join in.

I had seen several fights against high level NPC's, battles that required dozens of burst linkers working together just to damage the behemoths. This was not one of those battles. What I was witnessing in the square below…I could only describe it as pure chaos.

Below me was a sea of varying color, blending together and separating at random moments as burst linkers attacked one another with merciless abandon. Shouts and screams filled the still air, the like a deafening wall, blanketing my senses. Looking down, I could hardly make out any specific details of any of the combatants below, not because I was so high, but because everything was going so fast. Weapons flashed, various special abilities were unleashed, it was all just too much to keep track of. There was so much movement…so much happening that I could hardly focus on anything.

"I can't even tell who's who," I said to myself, helplessly looking down at the madness below me.

I couldn't help but think back to what Barnaby had said way back when (was it Barnaby that said that? It was so long ago that I couldn't remember clearly). How _Advent's Fall_ chose quantity over quality over and that clearly showed. That being said, Ashton clearly kept to his promise of recruiting other burst linkers for this fight with him considering both sides seemed to be fighting with equal numbers. That being said, how the hell was I supposed to help when I could tell who were enemies?

Looking around the battlefield, I continued to try and make sense of what I was seeing. At first glance, it was clear that the group was in a square of some sorts, though I'm not exactly sure where it actually translated in the real world, but that wasn't important at the moment. Towards the back end of the square, to the left of where I was currently hovering was a building, but what made it stand out was that, unlike the surrounding structures, most likely ruined apartment buildings, this one was smaller.

It seemed mostly intact, with only few noticeable signs of deterioration and, of course, the domed roof which appeared to have caved in. Several dried and dead trees were planted on either side of the building's entrance. A barricade made up of assorted bits of rubble and ruined cars formed a perimeter around the front. If I had to hazard a guess, I would have to say that those closest to the building were members of _Advent's Fall_. Unfortunately, if that were the case, it appeared that they were slowly beginning to push outwards, slowly beginning to overtake the attacking force.

I couldn't help but stare at the building. I'm not sure why, but I couldn't help but think it looked somewhat familiar…

The creature I was riding let out a sudden shriek, catching me off guard. Before I knew what was happening, the creature suddenly careened to the side, nearly pitching me off of its back as it performed a barrel roll. A second later, a beam of energy screamed towards us, just clipping my mount's wing mid-spin.

The NPC screeched in pain, immediately dropping like a stone as its wing was damaged. My claws dug into the creature as I struggled to hang on. A terrified shriek wrenched its way out of my mouth, though I couldn't even hear it over the rushing wind as we rapidly descended.

The ground was getting closer by the second. I could see many burst linkers actually stop their battles to look up at me, some of them even pointing. Claws still dug in the creature's hide, I pulled upwards in a desperate attempt to will the creature to even out its descent. By the grace of God, or sheer luck, the creature stretched out its wings and attempted to even out. It rapidly flapped its good wing, the other unable to even move, but it received no elevation. All I could do was close my eyes and brace for impact.

We smashed into the ground with a crash. The impact alone threw me off of the NPC, throwing me across the battlefield like a ragdoll. My vision spun as I rolled rather violently across the concrete. A cacophonous crash followed by what I could only describe as a large amount of stone being crushed and ground to dust filled my ears, nearly drowning out the assorted screams and shouts of burst linkers that were no doubt in the way of my mount's decent.

My back smashed into something, causing a sharp cough to burst out from my throat as pain lanced through me like a dagger. On the bright side, my roll had stopped and I had taken minimal damage thanks to my avatar's durability, but it still hurt. I opened my eyes, a groan just cresting past my lips, only for it to turn to a sound of lamentation as I saw my mount.

The NPC had gouged a path through several yards of concrete, asphalt, and several burst linkers and plowed straight through the barricade. The beast that had been my ride for a half hour lay in a mangled and broken heap, half of its head buried under a mound of upturned rubble. Its body suddenly shivered before bursting into a plume of glowing shards of data.

I stared in both shock and horror the scene. I had hardly known it for more than thirty minutes, not to mention it was just a NPC, made of data and code, but I couldn't help but feel a small amount of loss at the creature's passing. Unfortunately, I wasn't given time to mourn as a battle cry erupted to my left.

Hardly even thinking, I lunged forward, diving into a roll. A loud crash impacted behind me, a sign that my would-be attacker had struck the ground I had just been occupying. Rolling to my feet, I spun around, smashing my tail against my attacker (a teal colored player if my short glimpse of them was correct) and sending them skidding across the square.

Not even given the chance to catch my breath, two more burst linkers rushed towards me, their weapons raised. I tensed, preparing to fight them off, only for some kind of missile to sudden shoot past me, its high-pitched whirring practically deafening me in the process. The two encroaching enemies were caught off-guard as the projectile exploded at their feet.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" I spun around at the incredulous voice, my eyes widening as I saw Barnaby standing before me, his arm still raised from when he had shot his lance-drill.

"Barnaby!" I exclaimed, too shocked to even say his character name.

"Turquoise Sentinel," Barnaby corrected, most likely more out of habit considering the amount of shock in his voice. "What the hell are you doing here?! You're supposed to be with Sulphur Nightmare!"

"We were attacked by Topaz Nightmare and…Gold Valkyrie," I explained, forcing myself not to stuttered at mentioning my sister. "I beat Gold Valkyrie and Sulphur Nightmare stayed back to fight against Topaz Warlock. He sent me here to try and help Ash-Ivory Paladin."

"Not sure how much help you'll be!" Navy Shark exclaimed, suddenly bursting onto the scene. Hardly glancing at the two of us, she dove towards one of the burst linkers that had survived Barnaby's attack. Her mouth opened with a sharp hiss as she lunged, sinking her razor-sharp fangs into their body. They hardly had a chance to scream before Navy Shark had torn them apart. Navy Shark turned back to the two of us, stray pieced of armor falling from her maw. I shivered in fear at the sheer ferocity of her attack. Navy Shark was not someone I wanted to piss off.

"Then again, you did take out that barricade with your entrance. Props, by the way," she said, sounding completely at ease despite the face she had just basically mauled a person.

"Thanks?" I said uncertainly. What the hell was I supposed to say to something like that?

"You shouldn't be here, Dragon," Barnaby hissed.

"And why not?" I demanded indigently. "I may not be as strong as the rest of you, but I'm still a member of the _Knights of Dawn_ …!"

Another enemy burst out from the midst of battle, most likely believing that the fact that we were talking meant that we were distracted. I hardly even glanced at them before releasing a short burst of my _Platinum Roar_. They went down without much fanfare.

"…and I don't appreciate being purposefully kept out of the loop in all of this!" I finished, turning back to Barnaby.

Navy Shark whistled appreciatively, but Barnaby was unimpressed. "It wasn't my decision," he said blankly. "Ivory Paladin felt that you shouldn't be involved in any of this."

A growl rumbled from the back of my throat but didn't make its way past my mouth. So, it was true, Ashton was trying to keep me out of it all. Even after their 'heart-to-heart' back at Victoria's mansion. If he didn't want me to actually help the guild then why the hell had Ashton given me Brain Burst in the first place?!

"What the hell are you all doing?!" the unmistakable voice of Pink Princess rang out. Turning around, I saw the petite burst linker staring at us incredulously. At her back, Emerald Rook and a slim deep gray figure wielding an overly large hammer with one hand. "The barricade is down, advance! Aid Ivory Paladin"

Like soldiers listening to the words of their queen, all those on our side roared in approval and seemed to fight harder than they had, making a push forward, Navy Shark included. Against them, the forces of _A_ _dvent's Fall_ seemed to waver, unprepared for the sudden explosion of vigor and ferocity our side was showing.

"What did she mean, 'aid Ivory Paladin'," I demanded.

"Ivory Paladin managed to cut through _Advent Fall's_ barricade just before the ambush," Barnaby explained grimly. "We've been trying to get through to help him, but…"

Barnaby's words were suddenly cut off by a sudden explosion rocketing through the air. Standing atop the ruined barricade, arm cannon poised to fire again, was Brick Mortar. On either side of him, several other red burst linkers were assisting the brick colored burst linker in fending off the advancing forces. There weren't many of them, only four or five, but Brick Mortar alone seemed to be strengthening their resolve.

My eyes narrowed. "We need to get in there and help Ivory Paladin."

"Are you crazy?" Amber Sage said, suddenly coming up behind them along with Pine and Aqua Gemini. "In case you haven't noticed, we're barely getting by at the moment."

"We're outnumbered 3 to 1 in this fight," Aqua Gemini added.

"There's nothing we can do to help him," Pine Gemini finished, sounding disheartened.

"We can't just give up!" I exclaimed.

"We're not," Amber Sage said, sounding irritated. "As you can see, we're still fighting. We need to at least keep their forces distracted long enough for Ivory Paladin to defeat Obsidian Seraph."

"And what if Obsidian Seraph isn't alone in there?" I demanded. "What if…what if he can't beat Obsidian Seraph on his own?"

I didn't want to think about it. I really didn't. Ashton always held himself with a regal air of confidence. I had never seen him fight, but I had no doubt he was strong. He had to be, but there was a seed of doubt growing in me.

"Oh, are you doubting our leader's capabilities?" Amber Sage asked mockingly.

"It's not that I don't trust him! It's just…" my voice trailed off. "It's just we're supposed to be a team. A guild. Ivory Paladin's the one that brought us all together. We should be helping him, not standing around out here."

A moment passed without anyone saying anything. Not even Amber Monk had a sarcastic quip. The shouts and screams of the battle around us faded into nothing as everyone allowed my words to sink. The silence was only broken when Amber Sage spoke.

"Yeah, well…as good as that sounds, that's impossible at the moment."

"We'd never be able to get through the line of burst linkers," Aqua Gemini added. "There's no way we can help Ivory Paladin as it is."

"All we can do is hope for the best," Pine Gemini finished. With that, the three of them turned and began to assist Pink Princess in her attack.

I tried to say something, going as far as reaching out my hand to stop them from leaving, but I couldn't find the words. A hand fell upon my shoulder, squeezing in a reassuring manner.

The best we can do for him is defeat our those out here and trust Ivory Paladin to be able to deal with those within their base," Barnaby said, trying to sound comforting.

My hands curled into fists, an argument on the tip of my tongue, but Barnaby turned away from me. Frustration burned through me, but I bit my tongue. I knew Barnaby was right, there was nothing we could really do for Ashton, but still…

My gaze moved to the ruined barricade and the various burst linkers from both sides converging towards the opening my entrance had created.

"Sorry, Barnaby, but I can't do that."

Barnaby turned back to me, confusion filtering through his metal mask. It looked like he wanted to say something, but he never got the chance. I gave him what I hope translated as an apologetic look, before barreling past him at full speed.

"Wha—Cadmus!" Barnaby shouted at me, but I ignored him in favor of running.

Now, I had never been a very good runner. Even in Brain Burst, by duel avatar, while not incredibly bulky, wasn't meant for high speeds. Which was why it was so surprising that I was moving as fast as I was, though it might have been adrenaline. I rushed past Pink Princess' advancing party, gaining a few startled gasps and exclamations from those I passed, and reached the breach in no time at all.

I managed to get a few feet past the breech, shoving my way past several stunned burst linkers, before the enemy converged on me. What happened next was a complete and utter blur. My vision was filled with bright colors as I was relentlessly attacked by the enemy. I punched, clawed, and kicked with reckless abandon, attacking anything and everything that stood in my way. Pain arced across every point of my body as numerous weapons and attacks peppered my body. I hurt, God it hurt, but forced myself to push through it. I had. To pay Ashton back for everything he did.

Anger, frustration, determination, all of those emotions that had been bubbling up in me burst, echoing out in a single earsplitting roar as I charged forward. It was slow, but I was steadily getting through the large crowd. My dense armor, while not doing much in terms of dampening the pain, did wonders for my defense. My health, was being slowly chipped away, but not too quickly. This may have been because we were all in such close quarters and they couldn't gain enough momentum for their attacks or they didn't want to risk collateral damage. Regardless of the reason, it was working in my favor.

I could do it. Just a few more feet and I would be there. I could get to Ash—

A sudden explosion caused everything to come to a screeching halt. I found myself flung into the air along with several members of _Advent's Fall_. A cloud of shrapnel rained against my metallic form as heat seared my body. Stunned and reeling from pain, I had no way of bracing myself as I smashed into the unforgiving ground, landing splayed out on my back.

Groaning, I opened my eyes (when had I closed them?), shutting them immediately as the sudden influx of light was disorientating. Trying again, I opened my eyes, immediately noting that everything was doubled. A dull ring echoed in my ears, a lot like cartoons always portrayed whenever an explosion went off. I tried to get back to my feet only for a foot to press down on my chest.

Vision coming together, I gazed up at the cold mask of Brick Mortar. The red burst linker said nothing, simply lifting his gun arm so the barrel was pointed directly at my head. Still slightly disoriented I could hardly lift an arm, let along dislodge the burst linker.

I could feel cold tears run down my actual cheeks as despair clutched my heart. I had desperately tried to help Ashton. I had done everything I possibly could, but in the end…

It meant nothing.

Just as Brick Mortar was no doubt about to put a bullet in my brain, a turquoise colored drill smashed into his chest. A moment passed and Brick Mortar's eyes, albeit shielded, seemed to widen before the projectile exploded, sending the red colored burst linker tumbling across the battlefield.

"God dammit, Dragon!" I looked up to see Barnaby charging forward, his lance reappearing on his arm. Not pausing for a moment, he jabbed his weapon into another enemy before they could attack him. The lance pierced through his would-be attacker as if they were made of wet paper, sending them to the ground with a cry of pain.

I stared, transfixed. Barnaby, the most calm, calculating, and strategic person I know had just jumped into the fray without any plan to save _him_.

I was so transfixed that I nearly missed the burst linker attempting to sneak up on Barnaby. Alarmed, I rolled onto my knees, intending to call out a warning, but it was unnecessary. Before the burst linker could attack, a glowing red arrow pierced through their arm followed by a second and third arrow that pierced through their thighs.

They cried it pain, gesturing to their injuries in an almost comical fashion. This display didn't last long as Honey Spider burst out from the crowd of burst linkers and tore through the burst linker with a flourish of claw attacks.

"My, my, Turquoise Sentinel. That was a rather bold move," Honey Spider said in her normal flirty and teasing, though there was an underlining tone of worry and fear in her voice. "You were never one to charge headfirst into battle like that."

"Yeah, that was rather…foolhardy of you," Burgundy Arrow added, shooting another round of crossbow bolts at the crowd of burst linkers around us.

Barnaby glanced in my direction. "…I simply could not allow a fellow guild member to so carelessly risk themselves for the sake of another without at the very least offering assistance."

I blinked. I couldn't tell if that was moving or insulting.

A shot rang out, pulling my back towards the chaos around us. Cherry Marksman was calmly approaching the trio, firing her twin pistols with rapid succession, hardly looking as she took shot down burst linker after burst linker.

Behind her, the two Gemini's were working in tandem. Aqua Gemini slashed at any foe that dared cross him path, the blade on his arm growing as he swung it, dealing damage to waves of enemies. Those that tried to attack the blue colored burst linker were met with quick opposition in the form of Pine Gemini. Pine Gemini twin always seemed to teleport just as his twin's side, deflecting any and all attack that came against him. Occasionally, his shield would glow a bright green and whatever attack that Pine Gemini blocked would suddenly rebound against the one that attacked.

"Look alive, you lot!" Cherry Marksman shouted, shooting another enemy.

"Yeah, get up, Platinum Dragon!" Aqua Gemini called.

"You were talking all that good stuff before! Get up and fight!" Pine Gemini yelled.

When I didn't get up right away, Barnaby turned his head to give me what I just knew was a frigid glare. "Well?!" he demanded. "You want to help Ivory Paladin?! Then get off your ass and fight!"

That was all the encouragement I needed. I leapt to my feet, wobbling for a moment as my center of gravity changed. Hardly giving myself a moment to fully recover, I lunged. I charged the nearest burst linker, my claws tearing through them before they could even retaliate.

The ground began to rumble underneath our feet, nearly causing me to fall over. Behind us, the ground erupted and a tower of purple vines with blood red thorns shot into the sky. For a moment, I was afraid that this was an enemy attack. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised when the vines suddenly spread out like a blooming flower and descended upon our enemies; the vines smashing everything in sight with enough force to crack the concrete. The assault only lasted a second before the vines shimmered and burst into thousands of particles. I turned my head just in time to see Fuchsia Thorn pull her whip from the ground. Seeing me look at them, they nodded their head before swinging their whip at an enemy.

"Whooo!" A sudden cry of elation alerted me that Navy Shark had also joined the battle.

The shark-themed burst linker tore through the crowd, weaving in and out of combat with the grace of a blood-crazed great white. It was slightly disconcerting how she laughed as her claws and razor-sharp fins carved through countless enemies, but reassuring considering that she was on our side.

"Talk about a rush!" Navy Shark practically trilled as she fought her way over to us. She spun around, about to maul another burst linker, only for a blur to smack into the side of their head, sending them to the ground before Navy Shark could attack. The blue colored burst linker whirled towards the direction the object came from and scowled. "Dammit, Sage! That was my kill!"

Amber Sage simply sighed at his guildmates antics. Several light brown colored orbs floated around his head, shooting out with a casual flick of his hand. "Kindly stop acting like an immature child. Need I remind you that we're at war?"

"Just because we're at war doesn't mean I can't have fun," Navy Shark replied savagely and once again I was grateful, I was on her side.

I looked around, the rest of the _Knights of Dawn_ now at my side; slowly pushing through the wall of burst linkers. Just a few seconds ago, they were saying how hopeless it was to try and get to Ashton, but now…we were all fighting together.

I ducked under a random enemy's sword, grabbing their wrist as they swung over my head and tossing them behind me. Before the hit the ground, they were skewered by Aqua Gemini before crushed into the ground by one of Amber Sage's orbs. At the same time, Barnaby stabbed another enemy with his lance, lifting them in the air and making them an easy target for Cherry Marksman and Burgundy Arrow.

Honey Spider sprayed a stream of electrified webbing at another group, entangling a good majority of them as they tried to attack. At the same moment, Fuchsia Thorn grabbed someone with her whip, pulling them towards the group so that Aqua Gemini could stab them.

I unleashed a fully charged _Platinum Roar_ at another group as Pine Gemini protected me from attacks. Next to me, glowing water formed around Navy Shark's fins before swinging her arms, sending out blades of glowing water at her enemies. Burgundy Arrow shot those that survived her onslaught.

We continued to fight, taking out enemy after enemy. Behind us, I could just make out Pink Princess' voice; commanding our allies to continue to press on. We were holding our own, but we weren't getting anywhere.

The progress we had made from when I had first charged in had steadily decreased until we had become stagnant against the horde of enemy burst linkers. We were holding our ground, but we were starting to get overwhelmed. Attacks began to pierce our defenses, despite Pine Gemini's best efforts, and we were all steadily losing health. We wouldn't last much longer.

"Dammit!" I shouted, unleashed yet another _Platinum Roar_ into the crowd, beyond annoyed with the gap I made filled in almost instantaneously. "We need to get through!"

"We can't!" Pine Gemini shouted back, deflecting an attack. "There's too many of them!"

"We're going to get overrun!" Aqua Gemini added.

"We need to retreat," Fuchsia Thorn shouted.

"We can't!" I immediately shot down that idea. We had to get to Ashton.

"There is no way we can get through them!" Barnaby yelled over the shouting around us. I was about to argue, but he cut me off. " _We_ can't get through, but _you_ can."

"Huh?"

Barnaby turned to the others. "Guys…"

"Understood," Burgundy Arrow said, readying his crossbow.

"If I must," Amber Sage sighed.

"This is gonna' be fun," Navy Shark said with a savage grin.

"What…Sentinel?" I was completely lost.

Barnaby turned to me. "You said you wanted to help Ivory Paladin, right?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Well here's your chance. Don't blow it!" Barnaby turned to the others. "Now!"

With that final shout, Barnaby raised his lance into the air. Confused as what he was doing, I watched amazed as a brilliant blue light began to encompass his lance, forming an ethereal cloak around his weapon. Before my very eyes, the lance began to grow in size until construct was more than twice his size. At once, the lance -no, the _drill_ began to spin and whir, sparks of blue light raining down from the speeds from which it spun.

"Incarnate…" I whispered in awe.

Those around us paused in their assault; watching warily as Barnaby's attack continued to spin. As this happened, Amber Sage raised his hands, causing the orbs round him to rise up and begin to rotate around the glowing drill, gaining speed until they were nothing but a blur.

As this happened, Burgundy Arrow began to charge up his own attack; a deep red light beginning to emanate from the bolt in his crossbow. Next to him, Navy Shark once more summoned more water around her fins, the thin streams weaving around her arms at a rapid pace.

Slowly, moving as if he were straining under the weapon's weight, Barnaby lowered his arm, leveling the colossal weapon straight forward. "Now! Run, Dragon!" he shouted before the drill shot off his arm with enough force to cause the turquoise colored burst linker to nearly fall back. At the same moment, Burgundy Arrow and Navy Shark unleashed their own attacks.

The red light of Burgundy Arrow's crossbow bolt and the twisting water of Navy Shark's attack joined Amber Sage's orbs, rotating around the drill, keeping with its speed. The burst linkers in front of the attack panicked, several trying to get away, but they were all packed too closely. The drill tore through the enemy ranks, tearing through everyone in its path as it continued forward unimpeded.

I marveled at the attack's power for a single second before I jolted into action. I lunged forward, running through the path of destruction the drill left in its wake. Several burst linkers were shouting at me as I rushed past, but what they were saying wasn't important. I had to keep running.

The constant beatings that I had endured, both from my fight with my sister and those I obtained when I arrived at the square, sent jolts of pain through me. My body practically screamed for rest, white-hot pain seared my limbs, but I didn't dare stop running. The distance between me and Barnaby's attack was already growing with each passing moment. If I slowed down for even a second, the gap it was creating would close. So, with a scream of determination, I continued to push forward.

Far too quickly, Barnaby's attack faded, leaving a still rather sizable chunk of enemies between me and the building. Grimacing, I still refused to stop my progression, even as the group began to regroup. They all began to brandish their weapons, malicious intent hanging over all of them like an oppressive cloud.

"Only one shot at this," I muttered to myself, gearing up for the stupid plan that I had concocted.

Just as I was about to crash into the wall of burst linkers, my I slammed my front foot down as hard as I could in order to brace myself. Still moving forward, I looked straight down and fired my _Platinum Roar_. The destructive beam of energy smashed into the ground underneath me foot just as I kicked up with my bracing leg. While my special move didn't have much recoil, the force behind the attack was devastating enough to create craters. At such close range…well.

I was flung into the air tumbling through the sky in an uncontrolled barrel roll. As my vision flipped over itself repeatedly, I could see a few attacks being fired at me. Most of them missed wildly, but a few would have hit me had it not been for the Amber Sage's orbs roaming around me as I tumbled through the sky,

"Get on with it!" Amber Sage's voice shouted above the chaos below me.

I gave him the best nod I could manage, which Amber Sage probably couldn't see considering was a mess of flailing limbs. Thankfully, I was able to aim my descent towards the back of the mass of burst linkers. Unfortunately, I landed rather ungracefully, falling on several burst linkers as I did. Not pausing for a moment, I scrambled to my feet, kicking a few enemies as I did so they couldn't follow, and bolted towards the building.

I could hear shouts behind me, but I didn't dare turn around. It was only when I made it to the door of the building that heard an earthshaking explosion. Chancing a glance, I was shocked to see a massive green _tower_ separating me from the rest of _Advent's Fall_.

"Well?! What are you waiting for?!"

I jumped, my gaze zeroing in on Pink Princess; the bright pink colored burst linker standing out even among the mess of color on the field. Next to her, Emerald Rook stood, his body glowing the same green light as the pillar. "Run!" she shouted, jolting me into action. Giving a final nod, I burst into the building.

My avatar's body may have been dented and cracked, my limbs crying in pain with every step I took, my health was hardly above half, but I continued forward. I had to. To keep my promise, I pressed on.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

All For Naught

My heart thudded with the intensity of a high school drumline. The adrenaline from the stunt I had just pulled still flooded through my vein like lava and I was sure that it would remain indefinitely. I'm not sure if I fully realized what I was walking into. I mean, sure, I knew that I was about to join in a fight between two level 9 players and a third unknown enemy, but I didn't feel panicked or worried. Maybe I was just numb to it all, but the only thing I could really think about was helping Ashton and returning the favor of saving me.

Bursting through the barricaded doors, I found myself in a large, rundown atrium of some sorts with a high ceiling and several cracked and damaged pillars lining the long hall. There were also what looked like booths of some type along the far walls. Under normal circumstances, I might have taken more stock in my surroundings, but my mind was understandably elsewhere. Especially when I noticed several brightly colored figures standing around.

"H-Hey!" one of them stuttered, caught off guard by my entrance.

"S-Stop them!" another shouted.

Hardly paying them any mind, I rushed forward. The only way I could go was forward, and I wasn't about to be stopped by a few burst linkers. As I ran, I saw one of them coming towards me from the corner of my eye, leading me to duck in order to avoid their attack. With a flick of my tail, I sent them crashing to the ground.

Still running forward doing my best to avoid the attacks of my pursuers, I heard something. Above the shouts from my attackers and the chaos outside, I heard it. A soft, slightly muffled yell. A yell I recognized.

Before I even realized what I was doing, I changed direction towards the sound of the shout. I ended up barreling into a burst linker who was trying to flank me, but I hardly even stumbled. The shouting seemed to be coming from a door behind the row of booths. Without hesitation, I leapt over one of the booths, clearing the glass that separated the atrium from what was behind the counters. Rising to my feet, I immediately zeroed in on the heavy metal door before me. Unlike the rest of the building, the door seemed almost pristine in comparison.

"Stop right there!" A bright beam of light flew past my head, missing me by millimeters, and struck the wall, leaving a scorch mark.

Cursing myself for my inattentiveness, I spun around and shot a _Platinum Roar_ at the ceiling, causing several large chunks of concrete to rain down behind me. I heard a few short cries of alarm before they were drowned out by the cacophonous crash of the ceiling collapsing. With my pursuers dealt with, I turned back to the door. I didn't even give myself time to contemplate what I was about to walk into before I grabbed the turnstile door knob and twisted it open. With no shortage of strength, I pulled the door open and stepped inside.

-Rise of the Dragon-

The moment I stepped into the room, I was nearly cut in half by a rogue blade of dark energy. I just barely ducked in time, the blade gouging a deep scar into the metal door I had just opened. Turning back to the room, I noted that it was quite spacious. It wasn't as large as the hall I had just come through, but it was large enough for several burst linkers to move around with room to spare. The ceiling was rounded, leading me to believe that I was directly under the domed rood that I had seen from the outside. However, what grabbed my attention was the burst linker flying in the air.

Obsidian Seraph looked just as terrifying as the last time I had seen him. His thin, practically skeletal body was held off the ground by his wiry and withered 'wings' somehow allowing him to defy gravity. Despite his face bearing no expression, I could still feel his malicious intent as he bared down on his opponent. In his hands, to my ever-growing horror, lay a scythe. The weapon was longer than Obsidian Seraph was tall, the blade itself being nearly four feet in length. The entire weapon appeared to be made up of rough obsidian, the blade in particular appearing jagged and rugged. A dark purple energy wafted off of it, curling and twisting into the air like a mass of writhing snakes, biting at unseen prey. An energy I know recognized as a sign of Incarnate.

Below him, standing firm and unflinching against his aerial foe, was Ivory Paladin. The white knight seemed to have forgone his shield, instead using both of his hands to grip his, which, instead of being the normal longsword he usually carried, was essentially a large lightsaber. It possessed the same gold hilt as before, but the blade was a sing beam of white light, the same length and width of his normal weapon. It could only be Ashton's Incarnate ability.

The duo stared at the other in dead silence. Neither burst linker so much as twitched, as if waiting for a silent signal to resume combat. I made to take a step forward, to join Ashton in his fight against his Parent, but my body wouldn't cooperate. I was frozen where I stood. A primal, borderline bestial, part of me that had been awakened the moment _Platinum Dragon_ came into being roared at me to run. To turn around and run back to the war outside and leave the two monsters in front of me alone. I even took a step back to do so before my mind came back, but by that point, whatever signal they were waiting for seemed to have been given, was received and both burst linkers suddenly blurred into motion.

Obsidian Seraph shot down towards Ashton like a meteor, his scythe glowing sinisterly as he bared down upon his opponent. The rather terrifying action did not make Ashton so much as flinch as he simply tilted his sword. Just as it looked like Obsidian Seraph would bisect him, Ashton, in a flash of light, deflected the scythe's blade, causing Obsidian Seraph to veer off course in order to avoid slamming into Ashton's sword.

The black angel spun in the air before rushing at Ashton again. Ashton spun around, bringing his sword to his hip, the blade facing behind him. With a swift flick of Ashton's wrist and a jerk of his arm, he swung his blade at the encroaching angel. There was a flash of light then Obsidian Seraph was suddenly sent flying into the opposite wall.

I blinked, shocked by what I had just witnessed. Obsidian Seraph hadn't been close enough for either of their weapons to make contact with the other, yet the angel had clearly been hit. Before I could think on it any more, Obsidian Seraph pulled himself from the wall and shot straight up. Once he had reached about twelve feet, he suddenly plummeted towards Ashton, mirroring his previous attack.

Ashton, lowered his sword back to his hilt like before and swung his blade. This time, I paid extra attention, trying to catch on to whatever attack Ashton was doing. I was stunned to see the ivory colored knight's blade suddenly extend, stretching to nearly 5 yards in length in less than a moment as he swung at Obsidian Seraph. Unfortunately for him, Obsidian Seraph seemed to catch on as I did.

The flying burst linker shifted their weapon into an overhead strike before swinging downwards, using the entirety of his body's momentum. He caught Ashton's blade with his own at the end of his scythe's blade, right where the curve met the staff, but instead of locking Ashton's blade in place, Obsidian Seraph pulled back upon his own while keeping his momentum moving forward. The result was the black angel flipping _over_ Ashton's blade and shooting towards the knight at accelerated speeds.

Appearing to be caught off guard, Ashton jumped back a second too slow, causing Obsidian Seraph's scythe to gouge his chest. Ivory Paladin stumbled, his free hand coming to clutch at his wounded chest, but kept his sword raised and pointed at his enemy. However, the black colored did not attack. He simply stood there calm and collected, head tilted to the side as if he were observing a small animal rather than an enemy.

Seeing this, Ashton's stance changed. He spread his legs out more, bending his knees so that he was lower to the ground. Both of his hands were placed back upon the hilt of his sword, which he now held parallel to his shoulder. His body leaned forward slightly, his entire body tensed like a coiled spring, just waiting to shoot forward at a moment's notice.

Ashton wasn't messing around anymore.

Obsidian Seraph had to have noticed this too, but instead of appearing wary, he still appeared lax and open. The only indication of any change in the dark colored angel was that he straightened his head. In a casual, yet graceful manner, his twirled his scythe between his spindly fingers, his gaze firmly fixed on Ashton. Despite not having a face, I was sure that Obsidian Seraph was giving a challenging smirk, daring Ashton to attack him.

Ashton clearly realized this and was more than happy to oblige. In an explosion of movement, Ashton was upon Obsidian Seraph, his sword baring down on the angel's neck. However, Obsidian was faster. With a twirl of his weapon, Obsidian Seraph forced the shaft of his scythe between Ashton's sword and his neck, stopping the attack dead. He then pushed against the blade, spinning as he did so, and swinging the deep violet scythe towards Ashton who just barely managed to bring up his sword in time.

Their weapons clanged against the other, a visible shockwave rushing out from duo as they swung at the other with insane force. Their weapons ground against the other in a symphony of metal grinding against metal as they locked blades, neither of them appearing to be able to overpower the other. They then leapt apart only to rush back towards the other.

What preceded was a whirlwind of movement that I was just barely able to follow. Their weapons were blurs of light as they constantly crashed into the other, mirroring each other's movements yet so different in their style. Where Ashton's blade was a tidal wave, a constant stream of jabs and slashes that took up every conceivable angle, Obsidian Seraph's was like a protective ring, twirling and spinning around him at astonishing speeds, deflecting all attacks while keeping his opponent at bay.

Wind billowed across the room as the two of them clashed, their own personal typhoon. Each impact of blades caused thunderous bursts to echo, jarring my senses and seemingly causing the room to shake. What I was witnessing…it was two titans fighting. It was terrifying, yet beautiful, like watching a master craftsman at work. Both of them were masters in their own right, masters of the intricate combat system of Brain Burst, and neither was willing to submit to the other.

Yet still, the fight wasn't balanced.

I knew very little about sword play, and even less about fighting with a scythe, but I could see the difference between the two combatants. More often than naught, Ashton was on the receiving end of their exchanges. Obsidian Seraph's weapon's superior length allowed him to land more hits on his opponent than Ashton's did. Even if they were simply glancing blows, they were adding up. Already, Ashton's cape was in tatters, numerous cuts and gashes littered his armored body, and, what was worse, I could see Ashton starting to slow down. Whether it was from pain or fatigue, the speed of Ashton's attacks and blocks had greatly diminished. If things continued as they were…

My hands curled into fists, and I was sure that my real body was grinding its teeth. I had come here to help Ashton. I knew ahead of time that I would be outclassed, but I still resolved to come here and help. I couldn't let fear keep me standing on the sidelines!

With my resolve set, I made to take a step forward, but stopped when I heard a slightly muffled curse off to the side. I blinked, my gaze shifting to the far-left side of the room where I saw a figure crouched down before a partially ruined wall. I immediately recognized them from _Knights of Dawn_ and _Dollhoon's_ siege to rescue Slate Forge. Neon Circuit.

They were currently crouched down in front of the wall, their plug-like pigtails seemingly plugged into the wall. Said wall appeared to be, for lack of a better world, _glitching_. The section they were plugged into, about a five-foot radius around where their plugs were attached, shimmered and warped as if it had been turned to a liquid. Neon Circuit's singular green eye was narrowed in concentration and their body language just screamed frustration.

My thoughts immediately turned to what Pink Princess had told us after we had rescued her subordinate; how Neon Circuit could affect the real world with their ability. My mind raced with dozens of possibilities of why they were here and what they were currently trying to hack. I still had no idea what this building was in relation to the real world, but whatever it was Neon Circuit was trying to hack, it couldn't be anything good.

Whatever Obsidian Seraph's plan was, it hinged on Neon Circuit. If I were to defeat them here and now…Obsidian Seraph's plans would be ruined! With that in mind, I charged the brightly colored burst linker.

Neon Circuit was left unaware as I charged them, the monumental battle happening just off to the side muffling my footsteps. By the time they sensed that something was off, I was already on top of them.

It was almost comical how wide their eye got when they saw me. They attempted to jump away, but was stopped by their 'hair', which was still plugged into the wall. Unable to move out of the way, they were helpless as my fist smashed into their face.

With a sharp, almost feminine, cry, Neon Circuit fell to the ground, their plugs being ripped from the wall in a brutal fashion. For a moment, I felt bad, punching them in the face like I did made me feel like a bully standing over their victim. This sentiment quickly vanished as one of Neon Circuit's pigtails shot towards me, forcing me to lean out of the way.

With a growl, I jabbed at them with my tail, wincing as I instead was met with stone as the burst linker managed to roll out of the way. The bright yellow burst linker rolled to their feet, glaring at me with their singular eye. Before I could react, they jammed one of their plugs into the ground and a series of stone spikes burst forth, charging me at alarming speeds. I jumped to the side on sheer instinct, just barely avoiding being skewered. Unfortunately, as I moved, they struck the ground with their other plug, sending another wave of spikes towards me. Unable to dodge, I had no choice but to release a point-blank _Platinum Roar_ at the incoming attack.

The ensuing explosion stopped the attack in its tracks and continued forward, screaming towards Neon Circuit. With a strangled yelp, they lunged to the side, avoiding the worst of my attack, but her rightmost plug was essentially incinerated.

Panting slightly, Neon Circuit glared at me, hatred clear in their eye. I stared back, undeterred by their glare. I had seen far scarier things than this lanky cyclops, I would not back down here! I took a step forward, intent on resuming my attack, when a shout echoed across the battlefield.

"Move!"

The shout hadn't even registered fully in my mind when the ground erupted around me. With a cry, I slammed into the wall, coughing violently as the air was ejected from my lungs. I slumped to the ground, my entire body reeling. I cracked my eyes open and was forced to fight down the desire to vomit as the world around me spun continuously.

"Now Circuit!"

I cried out in pain as I felt something stab me in the shoulder. My body immediately seized up, the feeling of every part of me twisting in every possible direction at once crippling me. My mouth opened in a silent scream as the pain arced through me. I fell to my side, unable to do anything but twitch haplessly. My vision cleared up enough for me to look up and see Neon Circuit advance towards me, their one remaining plug floating ominously.

"Cadmus!"

In a blur of white, Ashton was in front of me, sword brandished to defend me against and attack. However, no attack came. Instead, Neon Circuit froze, eye wide in surprise.

"C-Cadmus?" I felt a chill shoot through me at the soft utterance of my name. Not so much that they knew my name, but it was how they spoke it. Neon Circuit sounded surprised and…horrified at learning my name. Why was that?

"Well, isn't this a pleasant turn of events," Obsidian Seraph mused as he casually walked towards us, scythe held loosely in his needle-like fingers. His faceless mask peered down at me, appearing amused, if that was possible.

Ashton shifted, moving his sword so that it was angled between both Neon Circuit and Obsidian Seraph. "Dammit, why did you come here, Cadmus?" Ashton hissed out.

I grit my teeth, fighting to gain control of my body. "I…was trying…to help," I managed to grunt.

"Now, now Ashton, you can't fault your guildmate for wanting to help out, can you?" Obsidian Seraph mocked, his sickly-sweet voice sounding like nails on a chalkboard.

Ashton growled in response, his hands clenching around his sword. "Leave him out of this, Adam, he has nothing to do with this! Your fight is with me!"

Obsidian Seraph chuckled, a dark and condescending sound. "Oh, Ashton, how self-absorbed you are. My fight is with anyone that seeks to get in my way. You are just another obstacle, nothing more and nothing less. Our past is meaningless. You made that perfectly clear when you left."

Ashton violently flinched at that, his stance wavering. "I didn't…" Ashton cut himself off, his glare returning. "I couldn't stand idly by as you abused Brain Burst in that way!"

" _Abuse_ Brain Burst?" Obsidian Seraph laughed incredulously. "Brain Burst is a _tool_ made to advance the human race to levels we only dreamed of. It is meant to be used in such a manner! You simply lacked the vision to realize the power that we hold at our fingers! All hidden behind the guise of a simple fighting game."

"No, Brain Burst is not just a tool!" Ashton shouted defiantly. "It's a second chance! A chance to change your life for the better! To give even the smallest of people to become something larger than they ever thought possible."

"But is it not a tool in that regard?" Obsidian Seraph questioned mockingly. "Are you not abusing Brain Burst by changing yourself?"

"No, I am using it as it is intended," Ashton replied determinedly. "I believe that the maker of Brain Burst intended for the app to be used to better oneself and help them to become the person they want to be! It's not meant for such selfish desires as yours."

"Oh, that's right!" Obsidian Seraph said, as if making a sudden realization. "You believe that, once you reach level 10, you'll be presented the opportunity to meet the app maker. Ironic, you say that Brain Burst allows one to become 'best self' yet you are willing to take that from others just to receive a possibility of meeting this person. _Now_ who's being selfish?"

Ashton glared in response, his mouth stubbornly remaining shut. Obsidian Seraph snorted, content with his apparent win. He then addressed to Neon Circuit, who was still frozen in place. "Have you finished with your task?"

Neon Circuit didn't respond. They hardly even twitched; their bright green eye firmly locked onto me. When he didn't get a response, Obsidian Seraph turned to his ally. In that moment, Ashton lunged forward.

Just as it looked like Ashton was going to cleave through the black colored burst linker, the angel moved. In a blur, his scythe was arcing through the air, knocking Ashton's blade aside before the butt of the scythe was jabbed into Ashton's stomach. The paladin coughed violently, stumbling back from the impact. Before he could recover, Obsidian Seraph spun around, and smashed the flat of his scythe against Ashton's head, sending him flying. Ashton smashed into the wall with a sharp cry of pain, before crumbling to the ground next to me.

All this transpired in less than five seconds.

Seeing Ashton collapse, I tried to get to my feet, but the twisting sensation across my body made it near impossible. With a lot of effort, I was able to move my head enough to look at my shoulder. To my surprise there was a mark on my shoulder that looked reminiscent of an electrical outlet. Every once in a while, the area around the mark seemed to glitch like the ground had when Neon Circuit had stabbed it with their plug. Their antenna must have a similar manipulation ability when in contact with burst linkers.

I lifted my head to glare at the source of my paralysis, only to be met with the same horrified stare.

I didn't have time to contemplate the burst linker's odd behavior when Obsidian Seraph stepped over me and stared down at Ashton's struggling form. "Now, Ashton… Did you really think that that would work?"

"Damn you," Ashton growled, valiantly struggling to push himself back to his feet.

With a laugh, Obsidian Seraph kicked Ashton harshly in his chest, knocking the other level 9 onto his back. "Stay out of my way Ashton. On even terms, you may have been able to match me in battle, but this isn't a simple duel. While I don't care what happens to you in the end, I'm not heartless enough to strip a burst linker of Brain Burst. Unlike you."

Ashton cursed under his breath, still attempting to get to his feet but failing. As he shifted, I noticed a familiar outlet-like mark on his left side. This entire time, Ashton had been fighting with this status effect weighing him down.

This entire time, Ashton had been fighting Obsidian Seraph, matching him in terms of power and speed more than once, yet he had been under the same effect as I am. I clenched my jaw, my fists tightening enough to cause my armor to creak. I knew the gap between Ashton and me was great, but this…it felt crushing. I had come to help him, but I could do nothing but watch while Ashton fought.

"C-Cadmus?"

My eyes shot towards Neon Circuit. That voice. It…struck something inside me, a feeling of guilt oddly enough. Something about it, something about _them_ , seemed odd. No, not odd. _Familiar_.

"Wh-Who?" I struggled to speak.

"Oh, that's right!" Obsidian Seraph suddenly exclaimed, looking between the two of us. "You didn't know!"

I frowned in confusion. What didn't I know?

"Wh-What's going on, Seraph?" Neon Circuit asked weakly. "Why's Cadmus hear?!"

"Oh, did I forget to mention that our dead Cadmus allied himself with Ivory Paladin over here," Obsidian Seraph said nonchalantly. "I hope this doesn't change anything." His voice was light, but there was an undeniable threat in his words.

"I-I didn't…I don't…" Neon Circuit spluttered, unable to speak. "I can't fight Caddy!"

My heart stopped. "Cecil?"

Neon Circuit turned to me; their single green eye going wide with surprise and horror, confirming my fears.

"Wh-Why?" My throat suddenly felt dry, causing my voice crack. "H-How…?"

Neon Circuit - _Cecil_ \- turned away from me, shielding her face from me. "I-I said that I needed to t-talk to you," she whimpered.

Everything seemed to stop around me. The pain I had been feeling became nothing more than static in the back of my mind. An odd weightless feeling overcame my senses. It would have been soothing had it not felt like I was drowning at the same time. Cecil, why was…why was she here? Why did she have Brain Burst?!

"Well isn't this an unexpected turn of events," Obsidian Seraph exclaimed sounding far too smug. "I honestly had not anticipated such a meeting. I was sure that Gold Valkyrie and Topaz Warlock would be able to deal with you."

My snapped to the angel and red colored my vision. "Why the hell is she here?!" I demanded.

"Hm? I thought it was obvious," Obsidian Seraph said. "As I'm sure you've realized by now, Cecil's duel avatar has the unique skill to manipulate the duel environment to the point—"

"I already know that!" I roared, managing to push my arms underneath my and lift my upper body up out of sheer anger. "I want to know why she has Brain Burst! What did you do to her?!"

"What I did?" Obsidian Seraph exclaimed in mock indignation. "You mean, what did _you_ do to her."

His words caught me off guard, my anger momentarily abating. "What?"

I could practically feel the twisted angel's sinister smirk. "Well, that's not completely fair to you. After all, both you and Barnaby share the blame."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" I demanded.

"Brain Burst changes a person, that much is true. It is designed to allow the average human to break their limits and the set rules of the world, but what happens to those left behind?" Obsidian Seraph questioned. "Those like Cecil here whose friends left her for greener pastures?"

"We didn't leave her!" I denied.

"Didn't you?" Obsidian Seraph asked. "Then what do you call abandoning her in favor of strengthening your avatar? Devoting yourself to Ashton's cause regardless of what was asked of you. Both you and Barnaby abandoned. All I did was pick up pieces and give her the opportunity to enter the world her only friends left her for. Never could I have imagined she'd have such an incredible ability."

"I…We…" I tried argue. To say that he was wrong, that neither Barnaby nor I abandoned her, but I couldn't. I had been so caught up in Brain Burst, in becoming stronger so that I could help Ashton and his cause, that I hardly gave any time for anything else. The only people I hung out with were members of the guild, and that was almost always in the UNF. The only time I actually went out in the real world was when I was practicing karate with Barnaby. I hardly ever even saw Cecil anymore, just in passing at school. Obsidian Seraph was right. We had abandoned her.

"Don't feel too bad. After all, Brain Burst is meant to change people. That means casting aside your past life and everyone you knew," Obsidian Seraph said, sending what I could only guess was a smug expression. "Regardless, Neon Circuit, if you would continue with your task." He glanced at me and Ashton. "These two won't bother you any longer. Especially not with your ability effecting them."

"I…I…" Cecil made a distressed noise in the back of her throat; clutching her arms. "I don't think I want to do this anymore!"

Obsidian Seraph froze. The air seemed to grow chiller as he slowly turned to Cecil. "What was that?"

"I…I…"

"Because, I thought I heard you say that you didn't want to do this anymore," Obsidian Seraph continued, his voice eerily calm. He took a step towards Cecil to which she mirrored.

"I…It's just…I agreed to all this so that I would be able to get Cadmus and Barnaby back," she said, shivering as she stared down at the floor. "I never wanted to do all this."

Obsidian Seraph stepped right up to Cecil, the neon colored burst linker having backed into the wall and unable to move away. Obsidian Seraph towered over Neon Circuit; his skeletal wings flared out, adding to the terrifying visage he made. In a flash, his hand shot out, grabbing Cecil under her chin, forcing her to look up at him.

"I don't think you understand your position here," Obsidian Seraph said. "I gave you wanted. I gave you Brain Burst so that you could reconnect with your little friends. Now it's time for you to return the favor."

Cecil whimpered, whether it was out of fear or actual pain, I wasn't sure, but it sent fury shooting through me. "Let her go!"

"You owe me, Cecil," Obsidian Seraph said, ignoring me completely. He leaned in close to her, his faceplate inches away from hers. "You told me that, if I helped you, you would do anything I asked, did I not? You're not a liar, are you?"

"N-No, I just…" Cecil whimpered.

"I would hate to have to get rid of your Brain Burst app," Obsidian Seraph continued. "It can be very painful, especially in the Unlimited Neutral Field. Though, you won't remember it, or any of your memories from Brain Burst. Including the knowledge that Cadmus and Barnaby have it. You'll just be left wondering why they abandoned you and why you're all alone. You wouldn't want that, now would you."

"I said, let her go!" I roared. Anger like nausea settled in my stomach, building and threatening to come out. I hurt Cecil. I left her and didn't look back, but I wouldn't let her be hurt like this!

Obsidian Seraph glanced at me, seemingly disinterested. Just as I was about to shout at him again, a searing pain erupted across the right side of my face. Screaming, the limited control I had of my body failed, causing me to collapse.

"Cadmus!" Ashton shouted. He tried to get up, but he could hardly move. His various injuries and Cecil's ability were hampering his progress.

Obsidian Seraph lowered his scythe, gazing at me in disdain. "I would recommend staying out of this. I told your sister that I would leave you to her, but if you continue…" The threat was left unsaid, but the message was clear. Even so…

"Just let her go!" I growled through the pain. "What the hell do you want her for?!"

Obsidian Seraph sighed, releasing his hold on Cecil who slid to the ground and curled in on herself. "You just don't get it. You don't realize where you are, do you?"

"Where I am?" I asked.

"Cecil's ability has the adverse effect of effecting the real-world technology that has been skinned in order to make the dueling stages. Normally, it just causes glitches or temporary loss of power within the devices scanned. However, through experimentation, I was able to teach her to control the outcome of her power," Obsidian Seraph explained. "Now, imagine, using that ability, while being able to control what happens in the real world, on say, an ATM. It would be child's play to force it to eject multiple dollar bills."

Ashton gasped, horror coloring the sound. The angel turned to him, clearly amused. "Ah, so you get it now. You always were a smart one, Ashton."

"This is Russet Bank." Ashton exclaimed. "You're trying to steal from here!"

My eyes widened as I too began to recognize the building. We may be in the apocalyptic stage, but that domed roof, I knew I had seen it before. Ashton was right, we were in Russet Bank, the largest and most commonly used bank in our district. Hundreds of people used it on a daily basis. If Obsidian Seraph stole from them…

"Steal from them? Oh, Ashton. Your vision is far too short-sided." Obsidian Seraph chuckled as if speaking to a particularly foolish child. "Why simply stop at taking a few dollar bills? Everyone that uses Russet Bank has an account. An account that holds all their information. Credit card numbers, social security numbers, addresses, everything."

Obsidian Seraph began to laugh. A cold, cruel sound that sent genuine fear through me. "With the information from so many people, and with no way to track me, I can hold them all hostage. After all, what would people do to keep themselves from losing everything?" He laughed again, allowing the implication to his threat left open. "And why stop there? If this is successful, I can go on to other banks and businesses, stealing information from everyone."

"This is madness, Adam!" Ashton shouted, once again trying to get up. "Brain Burst isn't meant to be used like this!"

"I will use it as I please!" Obsidian Seraph shouted, kicking Ashton in the stomach. "No one, especially not a traitor like you, can tell me otherwise!" As he spoke, every word was enunciated by a sharp kick to Ashton's side, eliciting groans of pain from the sophomore.

"Stop it!" I shouted. "Leave him alone, you bastard!"

Fortunately, Obsidian Seraph stopped his assault. Unfortunately, however, he turned to me instead. "You know, I had promised that I would let Gold Valkyrie deal with you. While your ability could be useful in assisting me maintaining my control within Brain Burst, she is a valued member of _Advent's Fall_ and she wishes for you not to be a part of all this."

Obsidian Seraph stepped towards me, his scythe dragging across the ground. Slowly, he brought up his scythe, holding the underside of the blade underneath my chin. My heart stilled. A cold trickle of sweat seemed to run down my spine.

"Adam, stop this!" Ashton protested weakly.

Cecil made a strangled noise, her eye wide with horror. She reached her hand out as if to stop what was about to happen, but she froze, most likely out of fear.

My attention traveled back to my executioner, his invisible smile grinning down at me like a demon from hell. "Don't worry," he said in a mock comforting way, "he won't remember the pain."

He brought back his arms, almost as if he was about to take a golf swing. I once again tried to move, but the mark on my shoulder made it near impossible. I was stuck. Obsidian Seraph was about to kill me. I was going to lose Brain Burst.

The possibility of losing everything and returning to the way I was, the weak, awkward, and unconfident loser that I had been, cut me more than any blade ever could. It scared me. Scared me more than anything, and I could do nothing to stop it.

I closed my eyes, unwilling to watch my imminent demise. I could hear Ashton and Cecil shouting my name, but it was drowned out by the whistling wind as Obsidian Seraph swung his scythe. I tensed, waiting for the blade to cut through my neck.

But it never came.

Instead, there was a loud crash followed by the sound of metal clashing against metal. Confused, I opened my eyes and gasped at my savior. Their glowing spear holding Obsidian Seraph's scythe at bay, their golden armor glinting in the dim light.

"Phoebe?"


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Heartache

"Ph-Phoebe?" I asked, my voice coming out as a shaken mess. My mind was just stuttering trying to comprehend what was before me. Phoebe…was here? And protecting me?!

Despite my belief, there she was, standing like an ethereal guardian. In her hands, her spear, now swathed in a golden-fire like light, creating a cloak that extended the weapon by two feet, was held in front of her, posed from where she had struck Obsidian Seraph. The only indication that the golden warrior had heard me as a slight tilt of her head, but other than that, her attention was solely on the blackened angel.

Said burst linker stood too stood stock still. Slowly, he turned his head to look at his shoulder, which now sported a brilliant gold line that seemed to burn with the same fire as Gold Valkyrie's spear. The fire flickered valiantly for several seconds before it sputtered out, leaving a dulled gash on Obsidian Seraph's armor. "Gold Valkyrie," he said in barely restrained calm. "I do hope you have a reason fo—" He didn't even get to finish his sentence before Gold Valkyrie moved.

In blur, the metallic avatar was suddenly in front of Obsidian Seraph, her weapon raised above her head. She brought down her weapon, a beautiful arc of golden fire arcing down to cleave the dark angel in two. Obsidian Seraph was just barely able to lift his own weapon to block the blow, but the force nearly caused his legs to buckle.

The two of them stood there as if frozen in time. Both struggled, trying to overcome the other's strength. Golden flames licked harshly against the deep violet scythe that impeded their progress while dark energy sparked and spiraled as if in response to their wielder's agitation. It looked like the two of them had reached a stalemate, neither of them able to force their way past their opponent's guard. At least, that was until Gold Valkyrie moved once more.

With on graceful movement, the golden burst linker withdrew her weapon, swinging it upwards and back so the point was facing us. In the same movement, she twisted her back with her weapon, stepping back with her front foot and twirling with her back. In less than a second, she was once more facing forward, her parallel with the ground and aimed at Obsidian Seraph's heart.

Obsidian Seraph, still unbalanced from the abrupt departure of the weight that had been pressing down upon him, could only bring his weapon up in a sloppy attempt at defense before Gold Valkyrie stepped forward and thrusted with her spear. Gold Valkyrie attack was deflected by Obsidian Seraph's crude block, but her spear was able to deliver a glancing blow to the dark colored burst linker's side, leaving another trail of gold fire on his body.

With a guttural growl, Obsidian Seraph swung his weapon at Gold Valkyrie's neck, forcing the gold colored burst linker to jump back in order to not be decapitated. "Insolent traitor!" Obsidian Seraph yelled, sounding completely unhinged.

Gold Valkyrie, for her part, remained unfazed. She merely twirled her spear before aiming it at Obsidian Seraph. She…she was determined to fight against Obsidian Seraph, but why? She was part of _Advent's Fall_. She attacked me under Obsidian Seraph's orders, so why was she fighting him now?!"

"Gold Valkyrie," Ashton called, once more attempting to rise to his feet. "Why are you helping us?" he asked, suspicion coloring his voice.

The spear wielding fighter glanced at Ashton before turning back to her opponent. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not doing this for you," she said coldly. "I'm simply doing my duty."

"Your…duty?" Ashton questioned, his confusion regarding her motives mirroring my own. "What do you—?"

"It's none of your concern!" Gold Valkyrie yelled as she rocketed towards Obsidian Seraph once more.

This time, however, Obsidian Seraph was ready. He met her halfway, swinging his scythe as she thrusted her spear. The two weapons clashed, a thundering clang reverberating through the room. Unlike last time, their weapons did not stay locked together. Both fighters leapt back for a single moment before rushing together once again. They slashed, stabbed, spun, and twirled with far more speed, elegance, and ferocity than I thought possible. Their weapons hardly looked solid, more like glowing water that struck fervently against the opposing color. On more than one occasion, Obsidian Seraph attempted to take flight, but every time he tried, a gout of gold flames would erupt from Gold Valkyrie's spear, enveloping the air above the angel in a small dome of flame, effectively grounding the scythe-wielder.

I could only lay there, slack-jawed. Gold Valkyrie wasn't even a level 9 burst linker. She wasn't even close to reaching her duel avatar's full potential, yet she going toe to toe with Obsidian Seraph? Not only that, but she never displayed this level of ability when we fought. Was she…Had she been holding back the entire time?

"Dammit!" I jumped (or I would have if I could move) at Ashton's sudden shout. The ivory clad paladin had managed to rise onto one knee, but he couldn't rise any further. He glared heatedly at the pronged mark that was hindering his movement. "Neon Circuit!"

Cecil jolted out of her stupor. Still sitting hunched along the wall, she looked up, her eyes full of a swirl of emotions. Unsympathetic towards her state, Ashton continued. "Release your ability," he demanded.

"B-But," Cecil stuttered, her eye narrowed in confliction. "O-Obsidian S-Seraph s-said—"

"I don't give a damn what he said!" Ashton all but roared, causing Cecil to flinch violently.

"Ashton," I croaked.

Ashton looked at me and I was sure that he was going to shout at me next, but, after a second, his shoulders sighed. "Cecil," he spoke softly, as if trying to comfort a wounded animal. "I'm sure Adam promised you a lot of things if you worked for him. He may even follow through on them, but you have to realize that, whatever it is you were promised, isn't worth it."

He gestured around him, at the destruction that Obsidian Seraph had caused. "This is what he does. This may just be a game, but it has real world implications. If someone like him is able to gain power over the real world, everything would fall into chaos. Nothing would be safe. He has to be stopped. Please, let me stop him."

Cecil curled further in on herself, silent sobs wracking her body. She brought up her hands to clutch painfully at her head with enough force to cause visible scratches in the metal of her helm.

Ashton made a frustrated sound, his patience wearing thin. "He's already hurt those you care about! Barnaby! _Cadmus_! He attempted to poison them! Are you seriously still helping someone like that! I thought they were your friends! Do they really mean so little?!"

"Ashton!" I shouted in anger. His words…they were uncalled for! Couldn't he see that she was scared?! I was about to say such when the mark on Ashton began to glow.

In moments, the mark faded from view. Ashton visibly sagged. He rolled his shoulders once before rising to his feet, regarding Cecil with an impassive look. "Thank you," he said finally before rushing off to join the battle.

I attempted to rise and join Ashton, but my body didn't respond. Confused, I looked down at my shoulder and saw the mark clear as day. "Cecil. Let me up."

"N-No," Cecil said with a choked sob.

I blinked, taken aback. "What?"

"No!" Cecil shouted. Shakily, she rose to her feet, stumbling her way over to me.

"Cecil. What are you…?" I trailed off as she bent over before me, grabbing my arm and attempting to sling it over her shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"We're getting out of here," Cecil said simply.

"What?!" I exclaimed. I tried to squirm my way out of her grip, but I couldn't.

She managed to wrap my arm around her shoulder and began to carry (drag) towards the exit. Or tried to. It was clear that her duel avatar wasn't made for strength as she grunted and groaned as she supported my dead weight. Her progress was slow and she stumbled quite a bit, but she refused to stop.

"Cecil, put me down!" I exclaimed. "We can't just leave! I have to help them!"

"No!" Cecil replied, mulishly pressing forward. Her foot got caught on a large piece of debris, causing her to trip and fall. Even still, she refused to let go of my arm and struggled to return to her feet.

"Cecil, please!" I was desperate at this point. The sounds of clashing blades and metal tearing through metal and stone did little to muffle the shouts of anger and pain. I couldn't see who was shouting, but every part of me was telling me to go help. All the while, Cecil blatantly ignored everything going on around her, completely focused on trying to lift me up again.

"Please, I have to go and help them!" I tried again.

"No!" Once again, Cecil refused, stubbornly continuing to rise. She gave a cry of pain as her legs buckled, sending her to her knees again.

"Cecil!"

"I won't let you get hurt again, Cadmus!" Cecil shouted, causing me to freeze. In my stupor, Cecil managed to rise to her feet once again. She took a single step before she collapsed with a sharp cry, my frozen form sliding from her grip and onto the ground. "Dammit!" she sobbed, all the fight seeming to leave her at once.

"Cecil," I said cautiously with more than a little worry in my voice. "What…?"

"I started all of this," Cecil interrupted between bouts of uncontrollable sobbing. "This stupid duel avatar and its ability. All of this is happening because of me!"

Slowly, Cecil pulled herself up so that she was resting on her knees, leaving her hanging limply, her hands just brushing over the cracked ground. Her head was bowed, her eye out of focus. "All my life, I've always felt so alone. My father spends most of his time enraptured by his work, I don't have any siblings, all I had was Barnaby for a time. He's cold and abrasive, but he pays attention to me. At first, with how he acted, I thought I was just being a bother, a burden he was forced to endure for the sake of his family, but it wasn't like that. During the times where we had our 'scheduled meetings', he would as how I was. How I felt about things, how my studies were going. Silly little things like that, but genuinely cared. He cared about how I was feeling. That was something I'd never felt before and I loved it. Then I met you."

Cecil raised her head, her duel avatar's singular eye locked onto my face, looking past my duel avatar and staring at me. "When I first saw you, I could see your loneliness. The envious looks you shot at our classmates as they talked. The longing glances you gave groups and families as you walked by, and I knew you were like me and I wanted to help. I wanted to do for you what Barnaby had done for me."

As Cecil spoke, I found motionless. Not just because paralysis, but hear and see her. The girl before pouring out her heart as a war raged on behind us.

"I tried to befriend you," Cecil continued, bringing up a hand as if to wipe away an invisible tear. "And, I think succeeded," she added with a watery chuckle. "You always were good at hiding your true emotions, but I could see genuine smiles here and there and, on rare occasions, moments where you were completely relaxed with us. It felt…amazing. Not just being able to help someone who needed it, but to have another friend. Someone else who cared, but still…"

The tentative joy that seemed to fill Neon Circuit's features at the memory of the three of us vanished, replaced by something dark. "I still feared that…that it wouldn't last. I was afraid that, one day, I would lose it all. That both you and Barnaby would leave me behind and I would fall back into that loneliness I abandoned when I was little. So, when the two of you seemed to vanish all the time, I thought my fear had come true. I was alone again and…it hurt even more this time than it ever had before."

Cecil…

All this time, I had thought that I had been just the third wheel to her and Barnaby. That they would drop me the moment they realized they'd be better off not offering their pity to some no name loser. Yet, all this time, Cecil shared my fear to an even existent.

"It hurt so much, Cadmus," Cecil sobbed, curling into herself. "I just wanted to stop. For something to end the pain I was going through." Her hand creaked at how tightly it was gripping her wrist. "That's why…when I was offered an escape, I took it without a second thought."

"Brain Burst," I mumbled in realization, earning a nod from Cecil.

"It didn't take the pain completely," she confessed, "but it offered me a way to keep occupied. It wasn't perfect, but I came to rely on Brain Burst as a crutch on the days you and Barnaby were off somewhere. I wasn't the best at dueling, but my ability helped a great deal. I never knew that it had an effect on the real world. I guess that's how Adam… _Obsidian Seraph_ tracked me down."

"And he forced you into all this," I said.

"No," she instantly denied. "At least…not really. He said my ability was incredible. Being able to not only freely manipulate the dueling environment, but to effect real world technology, he said that I could be someone who could rule over everything. Someone who could demand anything and everything I could ever want and get without so much as an argument. I just needed proper guidance." She lifted her head again and I could feel the tears that were no doubt staining her real body's face. "But I didn't want everything. I just didn't want to be alone again."

She openly sobbed, a hollow painful sound that tore my very core. "I just you guys back," she cried as if desperately trying to get me to understand. "I didn't want to hurt anyone; I just wanted my friends back. And now…now I've ruined it all. I understand if you hate me, I—"

In that moment, the mark on my shoulder didn't matter. My body no longer felt like it was being crushed and stretched simultaneously, just a rampant yet hollow feeling deep inside myself. I could move and there was only one thing I could think of doing. I lunged at Cecil.

Too many emotions were suffocating my mind. Fear, sadness, guilt, regret, but not anger. Not hatred. Never hatred. So, with those emotions, I embraced my friend. Holding her as tight as I dared, trying to convey all my regret for abandoning her and my forgiveness for what she had done in a single action.

I felt Cecil freeze in my grip before breaking down. She clutched at me like a lifeline, unrestrained cries echoing from her. "H-How can you forgive me?!" she demanded as she cried. "After everything I've done…?"

"You haven't done anything wrong," I denied, fighting to keep my own tears out of my voice. "If anything, I should be apologizing to you. I hadn't even considered how consumed I had been with Brain Burst. I never even thought about how you'd feel about all this. I didn't even realize I had abandoned you. I'm so sorry, Cecil."

Cecil just cried harder and hugged me tighter. I returned the hug tenfold, allowing my head to rest on her shoulder. I had hurt her with my absence. I couldn't do that again. I couldn't leave my friend like that again. Yet even so…

A cacophonous crash resounded through the room, jarring the two of us from our thoughts. Behind us, both Ashton and Gold Valkyrie were on the ground, the latter of the two unmoving while the former struggled to stand. Above them, hovering several feet off the ground, was Obsidian Seraph. To my horror, his wings appeared to have undergone some sort of metamorphosis.

The same vile purple color that coalesced his scythe, now surrounded his wings. Each thing spine now branched out like a tree branch in winter; a conglomerate of stark branches, devoid of life and twisting in all directions. The ends of the spines wiggled writhed like a nest of dark snakes tasting the air. Several of these tendrils lashed out, rushing towards Ashton's struggling form. Thankfully, the ivory colored knight was able to roll out of the way, causing the tendrils to pierce through the ground with ease.

Seeing this, I started to rise to my feet. Cecil gripped me tightly, desperately trying to pull my back down. "No. You can't fight him, Cadmus! You'll get hurt!" she pleaded.

"I know," I said, cutting off her argument. "I know I'm completely outclassed here. That Obsidian Seraph could destroy me without even trying hard, but still…I can't abandon them. I can't abandon Ashton."

Cecil's grip slackened, though she didn't let go completely. Her gaze fell in resignation. She made to let go, but I caught her hands with my own.

"You know, I was always afraid that you and Barnaby would abandon me at some point," I confessed, causing Cecil's head to shoot up. "I was always waiting for the moment the two of you would stop pitying me and I'd be on my own again, but now… Now I don't want to lose anyone. Not you. Not Barnaby. And not Ashton. I don't want to lose any of you and I'll fight to keep all of you safe. Even if I'm horribly outmatched, I'll fight to keep you all from harm using every shred of my power."

As gently as I could, a set Cecil's hands on her lap and rose fully to my feet, struggling ever so slightly under Cecil's mark. I turned to face Obsidian Seraph, the dark angel laughing as he launched his tendrils at Ashton. The ivory colored burst linker had his shield raised, a golden dome springing from it and surrounding his still form, but the tendrils were chipping away at it. Each strike cracked the gold dome and his shield. He wouldn't last much longer.

Each step caused my body to cry in protest. My very form shuddered as it glitched painfully. It did nothing to my health, which was quite low at the moment from everything that had transpired in these short hours. I didn't bother asking Cecil to undo her ability. She'd probably try and convince me to run and I couldn't do that. Soon, I was standing almost directly Obsidian Seraph, the dark colored burst linker not noticing my approach.

After all this time, being battered and bruised, subjected to incredible pain, my special move gauge was full.

My duel avatar's jaw snapped open with a familiar hiss and the energy began to pool within my maw. The ball of energy grew and swelled, the edge beginning to crest past my jaw and into my line of sight as I poured more and more energy into the attack. It was only when the light had begun casting shadows across the room and gained Obsidian Seraph's attention, did I release the attack.

The brilliant beam of blue screamed through the air, completely enveloping the black angel in is unforgiving corona. The beam shot out far passed the ceiling, cutting through the smoked haggard clouds of the Apocalypse Stage. Eventually, my attacked died down, the beam becoming a thin beam before disappearing, revealing Obsidian Seraph, looking no worse for wear. His wings/tentacles unfurling from the protective cocoon they had formed around him. He hadn't been completely spared from my attack, but a good deal of the damage had been blocked.

Obsidian Seraph didn't say anything. He merely turned in my direction, his annoyed glare visible even through his black visor. Not even bothering to waste his words on me, he simply raised his scythe as if he were about to swing. The dark energy that made up the blade flared slightly before he swung, sending a wave of black energy hurtling towards me.

Time seemed to crawl at a snail's pace as I stared up at the blade of energy rushing towards me. Distantly, I could hear both Ashton and Cecil screaming at my name, begging me to move out of the way. I tried to. I really did, but whatever strength that allowed me to stand and walk like I did had vanished, leaving me frozen in place. All I could do was close my eyes and brace myself for the inevitable pain. If I was lucky, the attack would deplete the rest of my health and the pain would shortly follow.

Only, the pain never came.

A second passed, then another, yet still no pain.

Tentatively, I opened my eyes, only for my vision to be filled with gold.

"Ph-Phoebe?" Once more, I was saved. Gold Valkyrie was standing before me, facing me with her arms outstretched.

Slowly, Phoebe lifted her head. "C-Cadmus," she murmured. She gave a pained grunt before falling forward, forcing me to catch her.

Looking down at her, I blanched when I saw the massive gash torn into her back. She…

"You took the attack?" I questioned. "Why?"

"My…duty," she managed to say, though pain choked her voice. "Protect…"

Her words were lost as a single black tendril stabbed through her, narrowly missing me. She gave one final cry of pain before her color dimmed black. Her health depleted.

"Phoebe…no…"

"Foolish girl," Obsidian Seraph scoffed, retracting his tendril.

"Damn you," I growled in anger.

Obsidian Seraph seemed to just notice I was there. "You…you're the reason she betrayed me! Everything…everything's falling apart because of you."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" I snapped, carefully setting my sister's body to the ground.

"You!" Obsidian Seraph snapped, his anger boiling over. "Everything was fine until you. She was loyal. Hard-working. The perfect soldier. Then you got involved. Ashton gave you Brain Burst, and you ruined everything!"

I could practically see the deranged look on his face. He was completely unhinged. Did Phoebe's betrayal really send him over the edge.

"It all would have been so easy. I had the perfect plan, the perfect army, the perfect _minions_. Ivory Paladin and his pathetic knights couldn't have done anything to stop me! Yet, _you_ , a weak, pathetic newbie, has been able to throw so many wrenches in plans!" His free hand clutched at his head as if he were staving off an intense migraine. "How is it that someone like you has caused so much damage to everything I fought for?!"

Obsidian Seraph was left visibly panting at the end of his rant. "And yet, at the same time, you were instrumental in it all," he said, a twisted smile clear in his voice. "If it hadn't been for you, Cecil never would have been abandoned, giving me access to such a useful ability, nor would such a powerful soldier like Gold Valkyrie have come to be."

This guy, he was bouncing through emotions with such intensity… He couldn't be sane.

"You know, she joined me because of you," Obsidian Seraph said with a careless laugh. "After your parents died, she was desperate. A full-time student, working a full-time job, all while raising her kid brother. All I had to do was waggle a bit of cash in front of her and _boom_ instant loyalty. Then you had to ruin it!"

"You…" Rage like I had never felt bubbled through me. "You bastard… You used them. Cecil and Phoebe both!"

"Oh, like Ashton did to you?" Obsidian Seraph scoffed. "Get real."

"It's completely different!" I shouted. "Ashton never used me like that!"

"Oh?" Obsidian Seraph laughed. "Promising you the chance to change your life for the better so long as you follow him? Sound familiar?"

"He never lied about his goals!" I shouted.

"And neither did I. Phoebe knew exactly what she was getting into. They just didn't care. Money and the promise tor never be alone was all they needed to comply."

"You took advantage of how desperate they were!" I could hardly think. Anger. I was so angry. Phoebe, she always cared. Everything she did, it was always for me, and he…he took used her… And Cecil… Just thinking about it hurt, worse than any pain I'd ever felt.

"You're right, I did," Obsidian Seraph confessed, sounding far too pleased for my liking. "I saw the opportunity and I took. I supposed I shouldn't be so angry," he said pensively. "Minions are a dime a dozen. With how greedy humanity is, well, it'll be easy to gain more followers. Though I doubt I'll find one as capable as Gold Valkyrie." A dark chuckle escaped him. "I supposed I'll just have to make do with Neon Circuit…"

My heart thundered in ears. My blood burned and boiled. I was on fire. My mind was foggy. Cloudy. Dizzy. Red. It was all red!

I couldn't hear. It was all clogged with cotton. I saw Ashton, he appeared saying something. Shouting. At Obsidian Seraph… He was angry too.

Was I angry?

No. I was beyond. I couldn't. I could breathe. I just wanted…I just wanted to tear that bastard apart. My friends. My family. He…He…

I coughed. I couldn't breathe. Air. I needed air. I needed to breathe. I needed…

I needed to make him pay.

It hurt. I wanted it to end. To make the pain go away. I wanted—

" _Don't let the hurt rule you."_

I opened my eyes (when had I closed them?). Before me was a familiar room. Pastel yellow walls. Hard plastic chairs. A loudly ticking clock with syringes instead of the normal hands. Several posters describing the importance of hygiene and germs. The receptionist desk, separated from the world by several inches of thick glass.

The hospital. The waiting room. Waiting to hear news on my parents. Where I learned…that…they…

A soft hand brushed the hair from face, startling me so bad I nearly fell from my chair. Phoebe stood there. Younger. Her eyes not yet hardened by the stress of raising her younger brother, flickered with fear and pain, yet warmth and reassurance.

" _I know it hurts, Cadmus."_ She spoke, yet her lips never moved. Never breaking the soft, kind smile she offered me. _"I know it hurts. The sadness. The anger. The fear. It probably feels like you can't breathe."_

Her hand stroked my hair, bumping against the gauze wrapped around my forehead. She sighed and looked away. _"You'll face more hardship in the future, we both will. There will be times where you think it's all too much. That it might be better to stand by and let life crush you…but you can't let it."_

Her eyes once more found my own. Her smile was gone, replaced by a look of burning intensity. _"Mom and Dad…they wouldn't you to be in pain. Not because of them. They would want you to live your life without their…deaths weighing you. Instead, that pain, that hurt you feel…embrace it. Don't let it take you over and drown you. All that pain, the sadness, the fear, the anger, use it. Let it be what fuels you. What allows you to keep going. To keep moving forward. Not just for yourself, but everyone around. For me…and for Mom and Dad."_

Her smile returned and she hugged me. It was warm. I couldn't help but melt into it, the cold pit in my stomach fading the longer we embraced. _"You're strong, Cadmus. So strong. I know you'll get past this and be better for it. It may not seem like it now, but you'll do great things. I know it."_

I could breathe. I gasped, the hazy crimson cloud dissipating from my mind. I was in the UNF. I was battle. Phoebe was on the ground, health gone. Cecil was behind me, curled up and trapped within her own mind. Ashton, he was still trying to stand, but his body was taxed and his health incredibly low. Obsidian Seraph was there. Floating several feet above the ground, damaged, but standing.

I bawled my hands into tight fists. He hurt them. Ashton, Cecil, Phoebe. Obsidian Seraph hurt and manipulated all them and numerous others to get where he was. It infuriated me. I wanted, no, I _had_ to stop him.

My mind was clear. My thoughts free. A warm bead formed in my chest, growing as the moments ticked away.

I was a rookie, a complete newb when compared to the monster before me, and yet I wasn't afraid. I was pissed, and I'll be damned if I let him continue to get his way.

The warmth was almost painful now. Shifting and bubbling; yearning to escape.

I won't be held back by my insecurities anymore. That pain I had felt since I lost my parents… The pain of being bullied constantly… The anger at being pushed down time and time again… It wouldn't break me.

The warmth pulsed in me like a second heart, its warmth continuing to grow.

I couldn't let myself be held back any longer.

The warmth pulsed faster and faster, but I hardly noticed.

I thought Brain Burst, it was a place where I could be free, but it's so much more. It's a place that allowed me to be me. The real me. A place that allowed me to see the strength I had within _me_.

The warmth spread through my body, still trying to find an escape.

My strength, I would take hold of it and make it my own. I would break the chains that once bound me to weakness and helplessness and…

I would _fly_.

The warmth burst from me.

An ear shattering roar echoed through the room. It took me a moment before I realized it was coming from me. A nearly blinding light enveloped my form and I could feel my duel avatar shifting. I felt…sleeker, almost streamline, and much more powerful.

The light died down and my roar subsided. Glancing down, I saw that my duel avatar had changed. My armor, which once been bulkier and sharper, was now smooth. A singular suit rather than multiple pieces of armor. Reaching up to touch my head, I found that my horns had changed as well, forming more of a V-shaped crest starting at the tip my snout. It was then I became conscious of the Over Rays creeping at the edge of my vision and the warmth flowing through my limbs.

Looking down, my hands, feet, and the tip of my tail were now surrounded by a brilliant cobalt light, forming three-pointed claws an odd cross-like spike at the end of my tail. This…This could only be…

"Incarnate," I whispered.

I hardly had time react to my new additions and changes when a familiar warmth erupted from my back. I hunched over as something from behind me, adding a surprising amount of weight to me. I stumbled forward, trying to adapt to the sudden shift weight. Looking back, I gasped at what had grown from me.

Wings. Large, draconian wings, the same color as the rest of my body, but with a hardly noticeable blue glow around them. I flexed them, flapping each one experimentally. I yelped when I suddenly lifted off the ground, hovering for a couple seconds before landing again.

I could fly. Holy crap I could fly!

"Impossible!" I nearly jumped as I was suddenly reminded of where I was by Obsidian Seraph's spluttered shout. "Unlocking two Incarnate abilities at the same time is impossible!"

I looked up at him, and I couldn't help it. "Clearly not," I said cheekily. Where once I was terrified of the Burst Linker flying above me, I found myself confident. Determined. And above all…filled with a need to let out some much-needed aggression.

Obsidian Seraph growled, his wing tendrils shifting restlessly. His scythe seeming to pulse with malintent. "You think that just because you Incarnate, and gained your second ability, that you can pose a threat to me?!"

I glanced down at my hands, flexing my new claws. My wings flapped with a single thought, taking me off the ground. The anger I felt, the fear and sadness, it was still there, but it wasn't consuming me. No, it was _fueling_ me.

I grinned. "Yeah. I really do."


End file.
